• The average dog is left home alone for 6 hours a day
• 65% of dog owners leave the heating on for their pet while they’re out
• 15% of owners believe their dog has a favourite TV show
DOGS IN the UK and Ireland are living the life of riley, being spoilt with access to heating, radio and even TV whilst their owners are out of the house, a new study has found.
A survey of 1,002 British and Irish dog owners conducted by heating oil supplier, SuperSaverOil.com has revealed that the average dog is left home alone for six hours a day – but owners are treating their pets to little luxuries to make up for this.
According to the research, more than two thirds of dog owners (69%) feel guilty about leaving their pet home alone for more than five hours, and 1 in 10 feel guilty leaving their dog at home on its own even if it’s only for an hour at a time.
As such, Britain and Ireland’s animal lovers are going to extreme lengths to keep their four-legged friends comfortable and happy whilst they’re unattended at home.
The survey found that 65% of owners will leave the heating on to make sure their dog is comfortable whilst home alone.
Of those surveyed, 53% say they leave a light on for their pets whilst they’re out of the house at night, with 48% also claiming to turn the radio on to give their pooch some company whilst they are not at home.
A dedicated one in four (25%) even admit to leaving the TV on whilst they’re out of the house so their pampered pup has some entertainment. Bizarrely, 15% of owners believe their dog has a favourite TV show.
Mark Hackett, project manager at SuperSaverOil.com, comments: “It’s lovely to see how much people care about their animals. I expect there are some cases where the animals are actually receiving more luxuries than the owners themselves, especially when it comes to the heating as this is something people can benotoriously stingy about. I have to say, I love the notion that dogs might have favourite TV shows – some of these pets are absolutely living their best lives!”
SuperSaverOil.com sell home heating oil at competitive prices to homes across Ireland.