Dog and Cat Population UK

Dogs
In 2011, the UK dog population is around 8 million.

In 2008 this could be broken down into 75% pedigree, 11% Cross Breeds and 14% Mixed Breeds (There are 209 breeds of dog recognised by the Kennel Club)

Dogs by Breed (2008)
Numbers of dogs by breed/ million 2008

• Labrador (0.6) 
• Border Collie (0.6) 
• Jack Russell Terrier (0.5) 
• Yorkshire Terrier (0.4) 
• German Shepard (0.3) 
• Bischon Frise (0.2) 
• Rottweiler/ Dalmation (0.1) 
• Cocker Spaniel/ Shitzu (0.1) 
• Labradoodle/ Golden Retriever (0.1) 
• Geryhound (incorporating Whippets)/ Chihuahua (0.1) 

In 2008 the main source in which owners aquire their dogs are:

• Rescue Centre: 32%
• Friend/acquiantance: 25% 
• Recommended Breeder: 16% 
• Private Ad: 16% 
• Internet: 8% 
• Pet Shop: 7% 

Cats
In 2011 the UK Cat population is around 8 million

In 2008 92% of cats are moggies or 'non pedigree' (There are around 35-40 breeds of cat recognised by the Feline Advisory Bureau)

In 2008 the main reasons people keep cats as pets are for:

• Companionship: 27% 
• Love: 31% 
• Easy maintainance: 7% 
• Gets on with other species: 3%

Pet Owning Households

In the UK, almost 1 in 2 households own a pet
(46% = 12M), with around a total 22 million pets owned (excluding fish).

In 2011 the percentage of households owning a pet in the UK were broken down as follows;

• Dog: 22% 
• Cat: 18% 
• Indoor Fish: 9% 
• Outdoor Fish: 6% 
• Rabbits: 2.7%
• Indoor Birds: 2%
• Guinea Pigs: 1.5%
• Hamster: 1.4% Domestic Fowl: 0.6% 
• Horses/Ponies: 0.2% 
• Tortoises/turtles: 0.6% 
• Gerbils: 0.1%
• Snakes: 0.4%
• Lizards: 0.6% 
• Rats: 0.4%

* [Secondary] [Quantitive] PFMA