Black and white puppy in a dog bed

Your take on pet welfare issues

For over a century, we’ve been campaigning for better welfare for animals across the UK.

From making sure working horses on the streets of London had access to drinking water, to educating children about the responsibilities of pet ownership, we've been there to campaign and support.

Now there are different challenges faced by pets and the people who love them. We asked you which one issue concerned you most as pet owners.

What pet welfare issue concerns you most?

Illustration of a white dog lying down in a pet carrier
  • 22 per cent of you are concerned about puppy and kitten farms
  • 21 per cent are most worried about poor breeding
  • 15 per cent are most concerned about other people purchasing pets without adequate information about the breed they're buying
  • 13 per cent are worried about the abandonment of pets
  • 8 per cent are worried about over-breeding
  • 7 per cent are worried about pet theft
  • 5 per cent are worried about insufficient knowledge of owning a pet more generally
  • 4 per cent are worried about over-popularising certain breeds of pet

What horse welfare issues concern owners most?

We also asked horse owners an additional question on their top concerns:

Illustration of a brown horse and woman patting its neck
  • 72 per cent said they are worried about the lack of owner knowledge
  • 57 per cent said they are worried about abandonment
  • 52 per cent of people are worried about the rising costs of owning a horse
  • 50 per cent are worried about selling scams
  • 47 per cent of respondents are worried about horse theft
  • 38 per cent of owners are worried about end of life care for their horse or pony

Costs are the biggest negative of pet ownership

Unsurprisingly, cost topped the list of negatives to pet ownership, and we’re worried about this too. 

Although 60 per cent of owners who filled in the Big Pet Census had insurance, almost 9 per cent said they struggled to pay vet costs and 8 per cent said they relied on help from family and friends.

As the cost of living crisis worsens over the coming months, we’re preparing for a higher demand across many of our essential services, such as low cost vet care and our new pet food banks.

We want to keep as many pets with their loving families as possible, but we know that some people will struggle to cope with the rising costs of living and owning a pet.

56 per cent of you were passionate about standing up for pets. Almost 41 per cent of you hated seeing cruelty towards pets, but felt powerless.

Campaigning for change

We are proud to have changed millions of lives throughout our 125-year history. But we know there’s more to do to make sure pets are happy and healthy.

We're campaigning to improve education around animal welfare and ensuring there are laws in place to protect our pets.

Five people standing in front of Number 10
Our Public Affairs Team delivering letters to Number 10

Thanks to you, we have a better understanding of the life you share with your pet, the welfare issues that matter to you most and what more we can do to support both pets and people in the future.

 

[Illustrations by Laura Ireland]

— Page last updated 09/03/2023