We already knew they were man’s best friend – but now that seems to extend beyond this earthly plane too.
For half of the UK’s ten million dog owners have written their beloved pooch into their will – with an estimated £6.5 billion left in last testaments to them.
A poll of 2,000 owners by the charity Guide Dogs found 49 per cent had included ‘financial provision’ for their dog in their will.
Experts at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home estimate that the average dog lives for 13 years and costs just over £2,000 a year in food, vet treatments, insurance, toys, pet-sitting fees, grooming, treats and microchipping – or a whopping £26,000 over a lifetime.
The younger the dog, the higher the bill is likely to be – with a one-year-old still needing £24,000 to see it through life, and a ten-year-old requiring around £6,000.
As a result, animal-loving Britons are making provision for their pets in case they pass away before them.
With around 10 million dog-owning households in the UK, the poll could mean that around five million households plan to leave cash to their dog.
Taking the mid-point of a dog’s lifespan – 6.5 years – and multiplying it by the £2,000 a year they need, adds up to £13,000.
Half of the UK’s ten million dog owners have written their beloved pooch into their will – with an estimated £6.5billion left in last testaments to them (stock photo)
So the amount left in wills by five million dog owners could amount to as much as £6.5billion.
Charlie Long, 61, of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, said he’d made provision for his two labradors, aged three and five, putting aside £10,000 each for them.
He said: ‘My labs have become part of my family, so of course they’ve been written into my will.’
A spokesman for Guide Dogs said the study also found that dog-loving Britons left cash for various dog charities in their wills, including Guide Dogs, which helps around two million Britons with sight loss.