Dog ownership has jumped up – but do our pets need shrinks and ice-cream?

Having a dog as a pet is on the rise in the UK. Between 2011 and 2025, their population rose from 8.3 million to 13.5 million. Now about 29% of the adult population owns one. And these owners are crazy about their animals. Around 80% think of their pet as the “love of their life”; 45% think of them as their child. Legal services report that one in every eight people who inquire about will writing services want to leave something to their pets: when Paul O’Grady died two years ago, he left £125,000 to his dogs. The business of stuffing and preserving dead pets is thriving. Among working dogs, the fastest growing group is “companion animals” – although sheep dogs are still sought after; some can fetch up to £27,000.

Spending on pets has soared, too. In 2012, the annual cost of keeping a pet averaged at about £170; in 2023 it stood at £420. Last year, Nationwide found that the total spent by its customers on their furry friends – £51.8m – outweighed the amount spent on childcare (£37.1m). Part of this is the number of gadgets and gismos now available to the devoted pet owner. Wearable devices to monitor how much dogs are exercising, “pet cams” so owners can keep an eye on them, and memory foam mattresses are all recent trends. Aside from Sweden, no other country takes out more pet insurance.

But vet bills make up the really astronomical sums. In May last year the Office for National Statistics calculated that they had risen by 50% since 2015.

Part of this, according to a recent investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), is that vets are adding huge mark-ups on medicines, sometimes up to three or four times the purchase price. This is likely due to a “roll up” of thousands of small clinics by large companies and private equity, which then set high targets for profits. Some animal medicines now cost considerably more than chemically identical human equivalents.

The regulator wants a cap on prescription fees and a price comparison website for vets. But this may not bring down prices entirely: there is increasing demand for expensive procedures previously available only to humans. Stem cell therapy, genetic testing, 3D printed prosthetic limbs and personalised treatments are all cutting-edge treatments now being marketed to animals.

A popular way for politicians to curry favour is to sign a pet welfare bill into law. Last year, stealing a dog or cat was made a criminal offence, punishable by up to five years in prison. But it was already illegal, under the Theft Act of 1968, by up to seven years – something that did not trouble the pet lobbyists, thousands of petition signers, or the MPs who eventually gave in to political pressure. The Animal Welfare Act of 2006 is fairly comprehensive, but there is always mileage in embellishing it. In recent years, private members’ bills have attempted to criminalise eating dog meat (selling it is illegal), and to oblige councils to scan dead animals on the roadside for microchips so they can be returned to their owners (hit and runs are against the law).

But is life actually getting better for dogs themselves? There are signs it might not be. Vets estimate that about 46% of British dogs are obese or overweight; other studies put the number at 65% per cent. Part of the problem is that human-like food sells best; owners increasingly make decisions based on what looks delicious to them – today you can buy dog ice-cream, dog cookies and dog crisps – but food high in fat is not always good for animals. Mental health problems are another issue: the charity Guide Dogs has found that about three-quarters of dogs exhibit behaviour consistent with anxiety and depression. Could it be that cuddles and birthday celebrations are not the way to cheer up a dog?

Unhealthier breeds have been on the rise, too. French bulldogs, bred with short noses, big eyes and splayed feet in order to look cute, often have terrible breathing problems, joint issues and eye disorders. But they are the second most popular breed in the UK. Dachshunds, bred to look like sausages, suffer from hip dysplasia and spine problems. They are the fifth most popular. 

However, owners may be more likely to give up on unhealthier breeds. In 2020, just eight French bulldogs were found abandoned. By 2023, that had risen to 582. Their sales are on the decline, but another unhealthy status symbol dog is becoming more popular: the British bulldog, now the nation’s most expensive breed. Breeding dogs this way harms them, but we do it anyway, perhaps because we so much enjoy caring for our pets.

Could it be that in this country the ancient bond between us is evolving in an unhealthy way? Thinking of dogs as humans helped us run ahead; other countries follow our lead on rights and welfare. But we may have taken this too far. Dogs are part of the family, extensions of ourselves, but we should remember they are animals with animal needs.