We all love our sweet pets but have pet-owners gone too far with these crazy behaviours? A survey of 2000 pet-owners found that a large number of them treat their animals in ways that might seem odd to the rest of us.
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Surprising results
These are some of the other findings of the poll:
- 40% of dog-owners let their pooches sleep in their beds with them every night
- 15% of pet-owners have taken time off work to look after sick pets
- 34% refer to themselves as their pet's 'mummy' or 'daddy'
- 30% sign their pet's name in birthday cards
- 20% get up at 4 am to feed their cat breakfast
And whilst a third of those surveyed admitted that others have found their close relationship with their pets 'odd', 9 out of 10 said they 'don't care' what other people think about their relationship with their animals.
Real emotional bonds
Dr. Deborah Wells, an animal psychologist commented, 'This research highlights the intensity of owners’ attachments' to their dogs and cats and the lengths some people go to to ensure their pets’ needs are not only catered for, but, in many cases, exceeded.
About 96% of people consider their pets to be members of the family and 6 out of 10 say that they are closer to their pet than they are to some of their human relatives.
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