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Let’s be honest, there have been a lot of occasions when we’ve come home from work and we’re feeling a little lazy, so decided that letting the dog run around the house or garden is enough for them.
But then your dog will invariably begin to realize what you’re up to, they may sit by the door or bring over their lead and you’ll eventually get the hint and take them out.
But you knew what you were signing up for when you brought your dog home. Labradors require at least one hour of exercise per day, so they’re not the breed of dog for you if you’re less inclined to want to head outside after a full day at the office.
Labradors have a habit of putting on extra weight when their exercise routine is too low.
Perhaps that’s something you took into consideration when choosing your dog. Did you use it as an excuse to force you out of the house more, get you moving, maybe even shift a few pounds of your own?
Or if you found that owning a dog such as a Labrador came with a little too much work, did you think about adopting a breed which doesn’t require as much attention, or doesn’t need walking as regularly?
It seems as though Legal and General have been thinking about this recently, as they’ve released the results of a survey to find out how much research people did before adopting a dog, and what they look for in a dog before deciding which breed may be best for them.
The biggest result of the survey found that one in three dog owners did little to no research before deciding on which breed to take home.
Sometimes dog adoption isn’t exactly a straightforward process, and choosing a breed isn’t an option, but one in three not doing their research is higher than we’d expect.
You may think that most of those surveyed perhaps inherited a dog or adopted from a shelter, whereas just 27% adopted from a shelter or charity, and 60% paid for their dog.
What didn’t come as a great shock to us was that Labradors came out on top as the most popular breed. Out of everyone surveyed 13% own a Labrador, followed by Cocker Spaniel at 6.5%, Border Collie at 6%, Staffordshire Bull Terrier at 5.5% and Jack Russell at 5%.
Owners were asked why they decided on their chosen breed, with 43%, the highest amount, saying that size is important. Next up was 41% of people agreeing that temperament was important, with just 34% considering how the dog would fit into their lifestyle.
A very low 11% thought about the price of taking their new dog to the vet, and a tiny 7% considered the price of pet insurance.
Sadly, the study also found that 6% of owners are unsatisfied with their chosen breed. 3.5% said that if given the chance, they wouldn’t adopt the same breed again.
Given the low number of people who considered vet and insurance costs, it’s not at all surprising that cost turns out to be a big issue for new owners.
The survey revealed that 29% of owners found their dogs more expensive than they had anticipated, with 32% finding vet bills to be higher than they had realized.
14% of owners visited the vets 5+ times a year, and 45.5% had to visit the emergency vet, racking up costs they hadn’t thought about when researching which breed of dog to adopt.
Anyone who has ever taken their dog to the vet, especially for an emergency appointment, will know how quickly costs can add up, so it may blow some people’s minds to hear that 36% of those surveyed don’t have insurance at all. On the other hand, 48% of people believe insurance is a life saver.
To help overcome these unwelcome surprises, L&G have put together the breed selector, a handy tool which, rather than letting you select your ideal dog, allows a dog to select you as their ideal owner.
It’s a cute little quiz which asks about you, your home and your lifestyle, and tells you which dog thinks it would suit you best.
We recommend giving it a go – it’s only a bit of fun, so don’t be too disheartened if Labrador doesn’t come up for you straight away!
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1 comment
Great article that points out the source of many problems that guardians might have with their four legged friends.
With a dog you’re choosing a companion and a partner, and as with all such chioces in life you must ask yourself are your needs and desires compatible? Are you active, or more sedentiary, do you live in a tiny apartment in the city or on a farm with loads of free space to roam and explore? Do your research beforehand, know what you’re getting into and everybody involved will be happier.