Uncle_Kenny Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 (edited) Motivated by the post about government housing policies killing people, I though I would take a look at the rates of dog ownership in the UK on the basis that dog ownership implies house ownership. The first link that comes up on google confirms my suspicion. Ownership of all types of pets is falling in the UK. http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/social-and-lifestyle/pets-in-the-doghouse-uk-household-pet-ownership-falls-to-56-in-2017-down-from-from-63-in-2012 Edited March 9, 2018 by Uncle_Kenny typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wsn03 Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 (edited) People dont have time or free space for pets like they used to. I think the type of lifestyles people lead reduces the desire for pets even putting lack of home ownership aside. People want holidays and city breaks so often that pets become a bind. I couldnt cope carrying a plastic bag filled with dogsh1t in my pocket. Gone are the days i could take my dog to do a giant turd on the front steps of my local Lloyds Bank on a Sunday evening Edited March 9, 2018 by wsn03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Option5 Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Pets can be expensive, vets bills etc. I suspect a lot of pets were originally for children, now children seem to want new computer games and gadgets instead, Tamagochi anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy T Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Couples both working full time for a slave box or just to pay extortionate rent, hard to own a dog when nobody's at home in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Option5 Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 3 minutes ago, Andy T said: Couples both working full time for a slave box or just to pay extortionate rent, hard to own a dog when nobody's at home in the day. It's not just pets, they're not having kids either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Save me from the madness! Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 I thought dog ownership had increased for anecdotal observation. All these dog walking businesses and pet grooming shops (and mobile vans) popping up that weren't around on anything like the scale I see now when I was a kid growing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamoMucci Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 1 hour ago, Uncle_Kenny said: Motivated by the post about government housing policies killing people, I though I would take a look at the rates of dog ownership in the UK on the basis that dog ownership implies house ownership. The first link that comes up on google confirms my suspicion. Ownership of all types of pets is falling in the UK. http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/social-and-lifestyle/pets-in-the-doghouse-uk-household-pet-ownership-falls-to-56-in-2017-down-from-from-63-in-2012 Interesting and sad correlation. Totally expected now that you mention it of course given the decreasing percentage of home ownership and the fact that renters basically cannot have pets. (Around here at least.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mancunian284 Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 5 minutes ago, AdamoMucci said: Interesting and sad correlation. Totally expected now that you mention it of course given the decreasing percentage of home ownership and the fact that renters basically cannot have pets. (Around here at least.) It is really sad. I grew up in the countryside and we always had two dogs. My adult lifestyle in a city means that as much as I would love to have a dog it wouldn’t be fair on the dog for me to do so. We don’t have much outside space and we both work 5 days a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dropbear Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 7 minutes ago, AdamoMucci said: the fact that renters basically cannot have pets. (Around here at least.) Yes, this is it. Pets are not allowed in most rental properties. But there's no problem... "you're not less of a person for renting your own home"! Still a person, just a bit more lonely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmic Apple Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 17 minutes ago, Save me from the madness! said: I thought dog ownership had increased for anecdotal observation. All these dog walking businesses and pet grooming shops (and mobile vans) popping up that weren't around on anything like the scale I see now when I was a kid growing up. Those who do get pets pay others to do the looking after? Much like kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wsn03 Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 My mates wife has moved away from the rat race as a consultant, now earns money walking other peoples dogs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errol Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 2 hours ago, Andy T said: Couples both working full time for a slave box or just to pay extortionate rent, hard to own a dog when nobody's at home in the day. Yes, this is a crucial reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabby81 Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Also home ownership is declining , its not easy to find a rental property that allows pets ..some even say no kids FFS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerfectCircle Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Is it really a bad news? Talking only about London, never understood why people bother with dogs given the requirement for internal space (the smell in a relatively small flat is quite upsetting even on best effort to clean), the lack of outside facilities (ok few large parks, but rarely on your doorstep) and the usual lifestyle which involves being away from the house most part of the day. Not even sure, animals were seen as companions on such a large scale in society in other time in history. Dog helped at the farm, and cats hunted mice, till 70's as far as my grandad was concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Save me from the madness! Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 There's dog mess all over my area, and I live in a pleasant enough (would like better, but hey ho) area. I'm all for a reduction in dogs, but it feels like an increase to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorkins Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 10 minutes ago, Save me from the madness! said: I'm all for a reduction in dogs Classic HPC grumpy old man post there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fence Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 6 hours ago, wsn03 said: My mates wife has moved away from the rat race as a consultant, now earns money walking other peoples dogs Yes, very popular alternative. Next door had a dog walker. Looked out the window once on a Friday when she had obviously just got paid for the week. Pulled out a nice fat wodge of money. And talking of big - doubt she even did any walking, more like just dropped the back of the car and let them run. Never trust a thin chef - or a fat dog walker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longgone Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 13 minutes ago, Fence said: Yes, very popular alternative. Next door had a dog walker. Looked out the window once on a Friday when she had obviously just got paid for the week. Pulled out a nice fat wodge of money. And talking of big - doubt she even did any walking, more like just dropped the back of the car and let them run. Never trust a thin chef - or a fat dog walker! one of these will do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 11 hours ago, Option5 said: Pets can be expensive, vets bills etc. I suspect a lot of pets were originally for children, now children seem to want new computer games and gadgets instead, Tamagochi anyone? They were 20yrs ago.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Option5 Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 17 minutes ago, Grab_Some_Popcorn said: They were 20yrs ago.... The start of the trend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wsn03 Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 3 hours ago, Fence said: Yes, very popular alternative. Next door had a dog walker. Looked out the window once on a Friday when she had obviously just got paid for the week. Pulled out a nice fat wodge of money. And talking of big - doubt she even did any walking, more like just dropped the back of the car and let them run. Never trust a thin chef - or a fat dog walker! Never thought, but like the dogs going to grass her up!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nome Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 (edited) 18 hours ago, Save me from the madness! said: I thought dog ownership had increased for anecdotal observation. All these dog walking businesses and pet grooming shops (and mobile vans) popping up that weren't around on anything like the scale I see now when I was a kid growing up. It's the ''Working'' Tax Credits scam that has allowed these none-jobs to flourish, take away TC's tomorrow and see how many of these businesses continue. Edited March 10, 2018 by nome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starla Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 (edited) I volunteer for an animal charity and foster unwanted, abused, neglected pets, until we can find them their forever home with a permanent adopter. There's a whole range of reasons why people give up their pets, breakups, rental properties not allowing them, but the most common reason is people get them on a whim and can't be bothered to look after them. They don't think about the time, cost and commitment. Most people think they love their pets but haven't got the first clue about minimum RSPCA recommended cage sizes, food, bedding, exercise or correct care. As there are no pet welfare laws enforced at a basic care level, and the Nemesis, Pets at Home, keeps churning out pets and bad information, I don't see it as a bad thing that pet ownership is declining. Apart from a few long established pets, I don't think animals should be in cages anyway. A lady who adopted an animal last week did tell me a funny story about her landlord coming round so she put her pets (variety of rodents) in the wardrobe and turned the radio up really loud so he couldn't hear them rustling and squeaking. Edit: I'm looking at this as "work experience" for my CV as it's definitely occurred to me that Pet Sitting/Holiday Care is a good move post my corporate job. Edited March 10, 2018 by Starla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futuroid Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 I know plenty of people who rent council houses and own dogs, so I don't think there is a direct correlation between dog ownership and home ownership. I do wonder how on earth some people on low incomes support dogs having seen the vet's bills my best friend ended up with for his - £800 in the first 6 months! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BristolBuyer Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 On 09/03/2018 at 9:24 AM, wsn03 said: I couldnt cope carrying a plastic bag filled with dogsh1t in my pocket. You need a dog that's smart enough to always take a dump right next to the poo bin, that way you don't have to carry the bag any distance. It's amazing what skills and training some dogs from rescue centres come equipped with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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