A new survey conducted by insurance company Esure has revealed that dog owners spend £89,000 on average on dogs . The survey involved 3,000 UK dog owners and includes yearly bills for food, vets, kennel visits, grooming, insurance and treats, as well as the price of buying the dog. These annual bills see the cost of an individual dog hit an average of £31,000.
Chihuahuas are the most expensive dogs to keep according to the survey, with each Chihuahua costing an estimated £88,691 over the course of a lifetime. More common dogs such as Labradors aren’t quite as expensive, with yearly running costs of £2388 meaning a Labrador will set you back just over £30,000 over its lifetime.
Vets fees were found to be the greatest expense in keeping a dog, followed by food and then kennels. Esure claim this shows the importance of having insurance . Furthermore, with over 20 per cent of dog owners owning more than one dog, these running costs will be even higher for some dog lovers, 39 per cent of whom had no idea how much it cost them to keep a dog.
