Battle of the sexes: Women are top dog when it comes to pets

1 September 2008

Study by new pet social network reveals new gender divide

Who makes a better boss?  Who’s better at driving?  The battle of the sexes is as old as time and a nationwide study from All About Pets - a new pet social network launching today - highlights a new gender divide: women are top dog when it comes to pets. 

Billed as the ‘Facebook for pet lovers’, www.allaboutpets.org.uk has been developed by Britain’s pet charity The Blue Cross to give pet lovers a new way to communicate, and a place where they can meet like-minded people to share experiences or advice about their pets. The site has already proved a hit with over 450,000 unique visits from all over the world since its beta launch six months ago and more than 6,800 members have signed up to date.

The online study from All About Pets asked 1,000 male and female pet owners from across the UK a series of questions to explore common misconceptions about pets. These included:

- Do you think ’alternative’ therapies can be used on animals?

- Do you think cats and dogs are born enemies?

- Do you think goldfish have three-second memories?

- Do you think you should give cheese to mice?

The research revealed that women were more likely than men to answer correctly in seven out of the ten questions, whereas men performed less well and were more likely to answer correctly in only two out of the ten questions.  Think you know your pets?  Take the All About Pets quiz - find out how you score and read the full survey findings at: www.allaboutpets.org.uk.

Laura Dobson, spokesperson for All About Pets said: “We all know that dogs are a man’s best friend but it seems that women are top dog when it comes to pet knowledge.  Or maybe men just have the memory of a goldfish!  Whether your ferret’s feeling frisky or your bunny’s having babies, All About Pets is a great source of pet care advice and a fun place to talk and learn about pets online.“

The main advantage All About Pets has over other social networking sites is that it offers authorative and reliable pet care advice from The Blue Cross, with more than 80 free leaflets on all aspects of pet care available to view, print or download.  Pet owners with specific problems or those with advice to share are encouraged to set up forums and social groups to discuss ideas across the entire network. 

Every service on All About Pets is completely free.  Members can create profiles for themselves and show off their pets with their very own profile using photos and links to videos. Members can also chat on forums, take part in pet polls and read about the latest weird and wonderful pet news from the UK and around the world – like the luxury Reptile Hotel offering holidays for exotic pets that opened in South Tyneside last month.  Or they can use the site to find out about events in their area or to promote their own events.

www.allaboutpets.org.uk

Ends

Notes to editors

Attached: photos of people with pets.  Additional photos of celebrities with their pets are available on request.

All About Pets is a new social network site for pet lovers, run by The Blue Cross and designed and created by digital media agency DVA.  The beta launch was on 3 March 2008.  Pet lovers from 142 different countries have visited the site to date.  The top ten visits are from: United Kingdom, United States, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, France, Spain, Netherlands, Australia and Germany.

The survey was carried out by BMRB on behalf of All About Pets, questioning 1,000 male and female pet owners across the UK between the ages of 16-64. Each were asked a series of 10 questions exploring common misconceptions about pets including cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, guinea pigs and mice.  A full list of questions and answers is available at www.allaboutpets.org.uk

According to the Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association, an estimated 24,255,000 people in the UK own a pet, ranging from dogs, cats and rabbits to the more exotic snakes and spiders. In 2004 there were: 6.1 million cat owning households, 5.2 million dog owning households, 4.1 million fish owning households, 1.96 million rodent owning households and 1.39 million bird owning households.

The Blue Cross provides practical support, information and advice for pet and horse owners across the UK. Through its network of small animal and equine adoption centres it rehomes thousands of animals each year. Its hospitals provide veterinary care for the pets of people who cannot afford private vets' fees.  For more information, please visit www.bluecross.org.uk.

Media contacts:

Harry Cymbler , Hot Cherry PR, 0207 424 0949, harry@hotcherry.co.uk    

Laura Dobson, The Blue Cross press office, 020 7932 4065, laura.dobson@bluecross.org.uk