With nearly 20 million dog owners in the UK, it’s fair to say that ‘man’s best friend’ has a firm place in many British homes – but how much do we really know about our four-legged friends?
With the rise of ‘designer dog’ cross breeds and obscure pedigrees, pet food business Webbox Naturals has conducted research into how much British people actually know about breeds in a bid to encourage responsible, well-prepared dog ownership.
Research by Webbox asked Brits to identify 10 real and 10 fake breeds. Worryingly, the survey showed that only 0.3% of the nation could answer each question correctly, suggesting that there is still some way to go when it comes to ‘dog-ucation’.
Only one in 10 knew that the Bolognese is a real breed, 96% thought a Stabyhoun was fake and a whopping 97% didn’t know a Molossus existed!
And, just as many Brits are unable to identify real dog breeds, it seems they are just as likely to believe a made-up breed is real. A quarter believed that a French mountain hound was real, nearly a third (31%) believed in a Hampshire terrier and 15% were convinced a rotenweirl existed.
Camille Ashforth, senior brand manager at Webbox Naturals, said: “We know that current trends in pop culture can influence people to buy dogs of a specific breed.
This can lead to potential dog owners taking on a dog based on looks rather than personality. As with any relationship where we fail to take compatibility with our personality and lifestyle into account, this can lead to problems further down the line.
“We always encourage dog lovers to do their research and buy – or better yet adopt – a dog breed that will suit them and their lifestyle.
“We think this data shows that breed shouldn’t be the be-all-and-end-all when looking for a new furry friend – we don’t know everything there is to know about breeds, so don’t rule out a lovely pup looking for a friendly new home just because of the breed they are.”
Take the Webbox Naturals ‘Breed or No Breed’ quiz here and see how much you really know.
