A new report by GoCompare has revealed how much lockdown has increased the price of purchasing pets.
The price comparison site analysed their own data from over 580,000 pet-insurance quotes since September 2019 to find the most in-demand breeds and the most popular names for pets around the country.
The pandemic has seen the demand for pets grow exponentially as the UK continues to welcome new four-legged family members into their homes. But which breeds are costing Brits the most?
Brazillian Doggo’s have seen a huge 450% increase during lockdown, with their price rising by £2,250. Bulldog (toy) ranked as the most expensive breed to purchase overall and have also seen the third-highest increase of £1,728.64 during the pandemic.
Cats are no different, with the price of domestic longhair kittens increasing by 1463% during lockdown. The black longhair’s average value has seen the biggest increase at £687.50 more than before lockdown (343.75%).
Singapura cats had the most expensive average price at £1,250, however they have always been one of the most expensive as their increase since lockdown only ranks 22nd at a 25% increase.
Popular lockdown breeds
When looking at the most popular breeds purchased during lockdown, French Bulldogs top the list for dogs and moggies for cats.
The data shows that out of the 97.732 puppies born during lockdown, 9,324 of these were flat-faced French Bulldogs – a clear Covid-19 favourite.
Second place was taken by the larger Labrador retriever (7,255) and third was the cocker spaniel (5.269). The lease popular breed out of the 50 was the Akita with only 204 purchased.
Low-maintenance moggies have also stole the show. Out of the 17,424 kittens quoted, and born during lockdown, 12,972 of them were moggies. Ragdoll’s (704) placed second, and the Bengal (559) in third.
| Rank | Most popular dog breed in the UK in lockdown | Number of dogs | Most popular cat breed in the UK in lockdown | Number of cats |
| 1 | French bulldog | 9324 | Moggie | 12972 |
| 2 | Labrador retriever | 7255 | Ragdoll | 704 |
| 3 | Cocker spaniel | 5269 | Bengal | 559 |
| 4 | German shepherd (Alsatian) | 2645 | British shorthair | 541 |
| 5 | Bulldog | 2082 | Maine coon | 529 |
| 6 | Staffordshire bull terrier | 1906 | Persian | 351 |
| 7 | Miniature short-haired dachshund | 1860 | British blue shorthair | 265 |
| 8 | English springer spaniel | 1856 | Siamese | 257 |
| 9 | Border collie | 1756 | Sphynx | 109 |
| 10 | Golden retriever | 1753 | Russian blue | 95 |
Most popular names for UK pets
Out of all 580,000 pets quoted for bother cats and dogs, Luna, Bella and Charlie are the most popular name of choice.
However, for puppies in lockdown, the favourites were Luna (1753), Bella (1492), Milo (1352), Teddy (1352), Buddy (1020). For kittens the top 5 names were Luna (416), Milo (214), Simba (184), Nala (154) and Loki (151).
Sally Jaques, PetExpert at GoCompare said: “Since spending time at home in lockdown, the demand for pets has skyrocketed. While people have more time to spend with their pets at the moment, you also have to consider the long-term commitments of being a pet owner. For example, working from home will allow you to tend to your pets with more flexibility, but there will inevitably be more time constraints in a post-lockdown world, especially if you will be returning back to work outside the home.
“Another crucial consideration is the best type of breed to suit your lifestyle and your financial circumstances. Training your pets takes a lot of time and effort so you need to be committed to supporting your pet throughout their life. We would always recommend researching the breed you are interested in and speak to other owners if possible. Make sure you understand the nature and personalities of different breeds and their unique needs to what you can offer them.”
