Summer Survey Shows Pets Some Love

A study of British pet owners by the travel comparison website TravelSupermarket has cemented their status as a “pet-crazy” nation. One bank holiday down, and one coming up soon means summer is definitely soon coming. About 32 percent of Brits who own pets rather go on vacation with their four-legged-furry friends than their immediate family, given the opportunity. This statistic gives a whole new meaning to being in the ‘doghouse’. The survey estimated 1 of 10 Brits choose to take their furry friends on a holiday over their children, and 13 percent confessed they would choose their pet over their partner, given the chance.

For the ones not traveling with their family, one in two pet owners in the UK said that when they leave their family at home while traveling, it is their pet they miss most of all while they’re gone. Their immediate family was second, identified by 33 % of Brits. A little less than 1/3 (28 percent) said it would be their partner they missed the most while being away.

Even when on vacation, pets are never far from their mind, according to the research. Almost half (43 percent) of Brits give their furry friends some extra TLC when they return home from vacation. About 1 in 5 make sure they bring their pet a souvenir. Approximately 40% of pet owners said they check up on their pets while they are away, making sure they are okay. A little more than 1/3 (36 percent) revealed that their pet’s well-being is their biggest concern while away from holidays.

The research has identified that a rising number of British pet owners (almost 40 %) are now taking their pets with them on vacation, domestically or internationally. Dog owners who have taken their pet with them recently confessed that they didn’t just do it for their own benefit, about three quarters believe that their pet enjoyed the experience and it broadened their ‘doggy-horizons’.