Pet Parent Guilt is Real: Nine in Ten Dog Owners have Experienced it

We surveyed over 1000 dog owners in the UK to understand the depth of their relationships with their animals, and the results reveal multiple reasons which could bring on a bout of pet parent guilt, especially as life returns to a ‘new normal’ after over a year of lockdown. 

• A quarter (25%) of owners have skipped work or called in sick so they can stay at home with their pet 
• Mutts before mates: over a third (34%) have been skipping social plans with their friends to hang out with their dog 
• As many start planning trips away, 29% say they feel guilty about leaving a pet to go on holiday  

Nine in ten (88%) dog owners say they have experienced ‘pet parent guilt’, the feeling of not doing enough for our four-legged friends.

‘Parent guilt’ is a feeling familiar to many who have children – feeling completely responsible for your child’s safety, happiness, and wellbeing. Your love and devotion to your child can lead to a fear that, at times, you are not good enough or doing enough for them. 

Following the huge rise in dog ownership in the UK in the past few years, this feeling appears to be no different for pet parents. Here at Naturo, we explored the rise of this new phenomenon which appears to be hitting the nation’s pet owners hard.

The top 5 reasons dog owners experience pet parent guilt:

Pet Parent Guilt Broken Down 

69% of pet parents feel guilty for leaving their dogs alone at home

Respondents expressed that a large chunk (69%) of their guilt comes from leaving their beloved dogs alone at home, with many worried that their companion will develop separation anxiety (45%). Others worry about their pet getting bored (41%), having an accident (30%) or even hating their owners for leaving them (25%). 

Despite lockdown restrictions now easing, over a third (34%) of pup owners have been skipping social plans with their friends to hang out with their dog to help alleviate their guilt. Three in ten (30%) also work from home more often so they can spend more time with their precious pooches, and a quarter (25%) even say they’ve skipped work or called in sick to see them more often, showing serious dedication to their fluffy companions. 

The team at Naturo understands that the bond between humans and dogs is very special, so it’s understandable that pet parent guilt can impact dog owners’ feelings in many ways. Over a third (34%) say that pet parent guilt makes them feel sad, whilst three in ten (29%) feel like a terrible pet owner. 

Over half (53%) of dog owners make it up to their four-legged friends by setting aside quality time for them and their pets to spend together and many choose to spoil their dogs by buying treats and toys to make themselves feel better about it (48%). 

Some also work on their relationship with their pet by choosing to work with a dog behaviourist (14%) and one in ten (11%) choose to discuss these pet-parent related issues with their therapist. 

Dogs are Family

At Naturo, we understand that the bond between a dog and owner is exceptionally special, and people care an enormous amount for their pets. Therefore, we can appreciate that people are feeling just as much guilt at the prospect of not doing enough for their pets as they do about their children. They are, after all, important members of the family.

We are, however, delighted to hear that many UK dog owners are looking for ways to spend more quality time with their pets. Some of the most rewarding time you can spend with your dog is during feeding time, as this is often the way they establish trust and further bond with their owners. At Naturo, our ingredients are of the highest quality and entirely natural, and as we know, a healthy dog is a happy dog!

Have you experienced Pet Parent Guilt? What have you done to ease this? We would love to hear your feedback on our Facebook and Instagram.