Apparently, 55% of adults in Spain have at least one pet at home. I read that statistic and immediately wondered whether people like me are pushing up the average.
I have three dogs and three horses. Given half a chance, I would probably have more dogs, but my husband appears to believe that six animals are sufficient.
I disagree.
There is, admittedly, one small practical problem. All three dogs sleep on our bed, which means I already spend a surprising amount of the night negotiating for approximately six inches of mattress. Another dog might require a bigger bed.
So a new YouGov survey into Spain’s pet-owning habits caught my attention.
More than half of Spain has a pet
According to the research, 55% of adults in Spain have at least one animal at home.
Dogs are the most popular, living in 33% of households, while cats appear in 26%. Birds come in at 7% and fish at 4%.
The figures come from a YouGov survey carried out among 1,057 adults across Spain, so they are national rather than specifically Costa Blanca statistics.
Still, anyone who spends time around the Costa Blanca will hardly find the popularity of dogs surprising. Walk along a paseo or sit outside a café for half an hour and you are likely to encounter quite a few.
Then comes the slightly painful bit: The bill
Almost half of the pet owners surveyed, 46%, spend between €31 and €59 a month on their animals. Another 22% spend more than €60, while 7% admit to spending more than €100 every month.
Food is unsurprisingly the biggest regular purchase. Among owners who had bought something for their pets during the previous six months, 97% had bought food. Hygiene and care products came next at 59%, followed by accessories at 31%.
And that last figure raises an important question. How many leads, collars, beds and toys does one dog actually need?
The answer, according to most dogs, is whichever one you have not bought yet.
We shop around for them too
Pet owners are also fairly savvy shoppers.
Some 51% buy their pet supplies both online and in physical shops. Another 38% stick entirely to physical stores, while only 11% shop exclusively online.
When deciding where to buy, 62% say price is an important consideration. Trust in the shop or brand matters to 48%, while 39% look at the range available.
But something changes when we get to the actual food.
Quality becomes the biggest consideration at 57%. And 55% say one of the deciding factors is whether their pet likes it.
That may be the least surprising finding in the entire survey.
You can study the ingredients, compare prices and carefully select what appears to be the perfect food. Then your dog sniffs it, looks at you with crushing disappointment and waits to see what else is available.
They are part of the family
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the survey is not which pet food brand comes top or where people buy their dog biscuits.
It is how much of our everyday lives now revolve around animals.
We budget for them, shop for them, worry about what they eat and, in some households, apparently surrender most of the bed to them.
Yes, pets cost money. They create work. They shed hair in places where hair should not physically be able to reach. Horses in particular possess an impressive ability to turn money into manure.
Would I have fewer?
Not a chance.
Would I have another dog?
Absolutely.
I just need to work on my husband.
And possibly buy a bigger bed.
Bridging the Gap’s recap
- A YouGov survey found that 55% of adults in Spain have at least one pet.
- Dogs are the most common at 33%, followed by cats at 26%.
- 46% of pet owners spend between €31 and €59 a month on their animals.
- 7% spend more than €100 a month.
- Food is the most commonly purchased pet product.
- 51% of pet shoppers buy both online and in physical stores.
- Quality matters more than price when people choose pet food.
