Dog Owners, Pet insurance and the Impact of COVID-19

We’ve always been a nation of dog lovers, but in lockdown, this trend accelerated. The RSPCA says of the 12 million dogs in the UK, 3.2 million were acquired as “pandemic puppies”. With high prices paid for many of the UK’s pups, and vets bills a huge out-of-pocket expense if something adverse happens, we wanted to learn more about the drivers behind dog ownership and the attitudes of the UK’s dog owners to pet insurance.

We surveyed 2,000 UK dog owners, asking several questions to drive key insights. The results support everything we have heard over the past year: the pandemic drove dog ownership, with 15% getting a dog during lockdown. Unsurprisingly this was because people were spending more time at home or working from home more. And more than one-tenth (12%) cited loneliness as a reason.

Those with a higher income were three times more likely to get a dog – and they are also more likely to take out pet insurance. Amongst all dog owners, a respectable 61% have valid pet insurance, rising to 72% for those with a household income of £60k per year. Petplan was the most common provider, outranking its nearest rival Animal Friends by more than double.