THUGGERY, BULLYING, VANDALISM RIFE AS PET’S ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES COST THE NATION £¼ BILLION

Is it time for Anti-Social Pet Owner Orders (ASPOO’s)?

Forget teenage hoodies and football yobs, Britain is a nation under siege from an epidemic of pet bullies!  39% of Brits believe their neighbours’ pets are a threat to their children and almost half (46%) have had their property damaged by other people’s pets. That’s according to Pet Watch – the UK’s biggest and first national study into pet behaviour across the country carried out by leading pet insurance provider Petplan.

The survey findings show that Britain’s pets are out of control. Pets getting into scrapes and injuring themselves cost owners an estimated £246 million pounds last year alone.*

60% of Britons experience regular nuisance noise; cats fighting, howling and trespassing on their property.  The worst cases occur in Yorkshire and the West Country, where over two thirds (67%) of people are affected

	1 in 3 of us has had our pet terrorised by the local pet bully – with Scotland proving to be a bullying black spot - 17% of Scottish cat owners admitted that their pet is a feline Phil Mitchell!
	47% of Britons reported that their pets had been hurt in an attack by other cats and dogs. The problem is highest in the South West of the country where 63% of pet owners say their cat or dog has been attacked by a neighbourhood pet

42% of people are so scared of their neighbours’ pets, they refuse to let their cats out, with the over 50s (52%) most wary

Scots have the most pet hates. 61% feel concern for their children around neighbours’ pets, and 55% say their pet has been attacked by another local pet. 62% say they experience regular nuisance noise from neighbourhood pets

21% of Britons would like to slap an ASBO on a naughty neighbourhood pet – rising to 40% in Scotland

The findings are supported by vets - 71% have noticed a decline in pet behaviour with 59% experiencing pet aggression first hand. A further 38% of vets believe disobedience and aggression is on the increase. 

Petplan worked with YouGov to ask over 2,000 people across the country to blow the whistle on local pets following press reports of badly behaved cats and dogs. Thousands of Petplan’s customers also shared details of their pets’ conduct, and over 100 vets gave professional insights to the first annual pet census. 

Petplan’s Veterinary Consultant, Scott Miller, said:   

“Pet Watch proves that the nation’s ‘moggy-coddling’ is producing a generation of badly behaved cats and pampered pooches, and they are causing havoc on our streets.  People are often attracted to fashionable dog breeds but do not appreciate the stimulation different types of dogs need.  The increasing cat population could be fuelling ‘turf wars’ too, but on the whole this is an owner, not an animal problem. The cost of veterinary treatment for fight related injuries can run into hundreds of pounds so there are serious implications.  Perhaps it’s time to introduce the ASPOO – Anti Social Pet Owner Order.” 

Victoria Stilwell of Channel 4’s ‘It’s Me or the Dog’ added: “I’m not surprised that the Pet Watch study has uncovered these statistics.  Dogs that were once bred to work alongside man are now leading boring and un-stimulating lives in the home.  The pressure on humans to cope with the ever-increasing cost of living means that the majority of pet owners have to go out to work and many pets are left on their own for long periods during the day as a result.  The domestic dog, which thrives on social contact, is now finding itself coping with long periods of isolation and that can have devastating consequences.”   

“This study illustrates what trainers have been saying for years, that owners need to take more responsibility for their pets’ behaviour.  The results of Pet Watch should be taken very seriously.” 

DID YOU KNOW?

The most expensive fight-related claim Petplan handled last year cost over £2,000 in vet’s fees, when a cat was attacked by a dog and was treated for a badly fractured jaw

If a cat gets an abscess from a cat fight, it can cost from £30 if it needs an injection or antibiotics, up to £200 if it has to have the abscess lanced

Injuries to dogs from fights can result in vet’s fees of up to £400 for a deep bite wound, or up to £1,000 for a broken leg

 Pet Plan pet insurance

Pet Watch was commissioned following a series of high-profile cases of badly-behaved pets, including:

Most recently, a bull mastiff that was stabbed to death after mauling a woman in Plymouth (June 2006)

Another bull mastiff was shot dead after viciously attacking its owner’s two-year old son in South East London (April 2006)

A London school boy was mugged of his mobile phone by a Labrador (March 2006)

A cat was issued with an ASBO after attacking and terrifying the community (May 2006)

Peterborough City Council recently introduced free dog training in attempt to cut down complaints of barking dogs. Nationally, 25% of all noise complaints relate to barking dogs. (May 2006)

The Government is introducing codes of conduct for pet owners as part of the Animal Welfare Bill  to encourage responsible ownership (January 2006)

YouGov surveyed 2,000 UK adults in May 2006.

*The UK cat population has risen steadily since 2002 and there were 8 million cats in the UK in 2004 according to Datamonitor. (UK Pet Insurance 06/2005)

Petplan is the UK’s largest pet insurance provider. Set up 30 years ago, the company provides cover for some 690,000 animals in the UK.

*The estimated figure of £246 million is based on the average Petplan payment for veterinary treatment for accident related injuries multiplied across the entire UK cat and dog population