£520 million 'spent on pets'
Further proof that Britain is a nation of animal lovers has been provided by new research showing more than £520 million was spent on buying pets in the last year.New cats and dogs have cost UK residents £2.6 billion since 2002, Halifax pet insurance says.But despite dog fanatics spending £282 per pooch and cat lovers shelling out £92 on every kitty, the insurance provider warns that pet owners are underestimating vet bills by 103 per cent."The research reinforces the perception of Britain as a nation of pet lovers who are happy to spend large amounts of money to purchase their perfect pet," said Halifax's Vicky Watson."However, it is worrying that so few pet owners are researching the upkeep costs for their chosen pet before selecting an animal."And showing that man's best friend is indeed his dog, the survey shows that male Britons spent an average of £335 on canines in 2006, £106 more than women.The majority of dogs homed in the last five years came directly from breeders, with just 23 per cent coming from animal rescue centres, Halifax claims.But the most popular way of getting a cat was from a friend of an owner (31 per cent), with a quarter coming from rescue centres.
Share this..
Related stories
How will the economy cope with rising unemployment?
Today's announcement that UK unemployment has reached 2.38 million was something of a surprise to the vast majority of economists and analysts in the UK. A figure of 2.24 million had been pencilled in by many although at the end of the day the forecast rise of 140,000 was actually double at just over 280,000. So what next for the UK economy?
While this obviously places more pressure...
D2 Jeans announces move into administration
Today saw the first post-Christmas casualty in the UK retail sector when D2 Jeans, the company set up by Sir Tom Hunter, announced a collapse into administration. The company was acquired by a management team back in January 2008 although there have been concerns for some time about the company's rental arrangements which were considered to be relatively high and were causing financial difficultie...
Read MoreThousands face fines for putting out rubbish too early
Householders have paid out over £185,000 in fines to more than a dozen councils for putting out their rubbish on the wrong day, according to the Times.The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act came into effect on April 6th last year, which permits local authorities to penalise residents for putting out the bins early or leaving bins on the pavement.Under the legislation, councils can charge ho...
Read MoreIrish debt rating on review
Moody's, one of the more prominent debt rating agencies in the world, has today confirmed that Irish sovereign debt is on review with a possible downgrade under consideration. If a downgrading was to proceed it is likely it would be a one step downgrade to an Aa3 rating. However, this is just the latest in a long line of bitter blows to the Irish economy, the Irish government and the Irish budget....
Read MoreHow can the government charge 27% interest rates?
The government white paper on the crisis loan fund is dominated by the suggestion that interest will be charged on loans at a rate approaching 30%. Let us not forget these loans are for families around the UK who literally have nothing and need to borrow money off the government, which the currently pay back and 0% interest, to cover such bills as gas and electric. The government has attempted to...
Read More