This Christmas, one in 20 pet mad Brits will spend more on their dog’s presents than most of us will spend on our family – a new poll has found.
The survey by free delivery website, FreeDeliveryLand.co.uk asked 350 dog owners how much they were planning to spend on their pooch. The results showed that one in 20, five per cent, anticipated spending over £50 on their mutts.
More than one in 10 of dog lovers, 11% were preparing to spend £20 – £50, whereas almost half, 48% planned to cough up £10 – £20 for their pooch’s pressie. Nearly a third of the dog owners surveyed, 32%, thought they would spend between £1 and £10 on their pet. However, a scrooge-like four per cent gave their mutt a ruff-deal and confessed to not buying their dog anything at Christmas.
One woman who took part in the poll said: “My dogs are my babies, so it is important that they enjoy Christmas as much as I do.
“I know some people find this hard to understand, but just because you have four legs, a wet nose and a wagging tail, doesn’t mean you can’t be spoilt at Christmas.
“My three dogs get their own stocking filled with presents so last year I must have spent well over £50.”
One man said: “We always get the family dog something small, as we’d hate to see him left out. “The trouble is he always ends up having more fun playing with the wrapping paper than he does with the actual toy.”
However, another man disagreed: “People who waste their money on presents for pets are absolutely mad.
“I have a dog that I’m reasonably affectionate towards, but I don’t shell out a fortune on presents – if they’re lucky a bit of turkey may fall their way.”
A spokesperson from FreeDeliveryLand.co.uk commented: “Most dog owners would consider their pet as one of the family, after all, they’re not called man’s best friend for no reason. “We were surprised to see that one in 20 were prepared to spend over £50 on their pooches, that has to be one huge pile of bones.
“The pet-gift market is expanding rapidly in the UK with presents ranging from one quid to £1,000.
“Whether it’s a cheep squeaky toy or a diamond studded collar most Brits want their dog to have a ‘paw-fect’ Christmas.”
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