Dogs of Divorce

New research from Rover reveals that pet parents stay in ‘dog-end’ relationships for over two years for the sake of their beloved pooch

London, 7th August: Rover.com, the world’s largest online marketplace for loving pet care, has today revealed that 39% of pet parents have stayed in a relationship longer than they wanted to for the sake of their dog. Not wanting their pooch to be from a broken home, Brits have admitted staying in their relationship for an average of two years (25 months) longer than they wished.

Despite breakups unfortunately being a common occurrence, almost a third (30%) of Brits have never had the conversation about what would happen to their dog should they ever separate. For those who have already experienced a breakup while co-owning a dog, they revealed that the ultimate deciding factors came down to who wanted the dog in the first place (39%), who had the most time (33%) and who was more financially stable (26%). A further 18% let the dog pick their favourite parent – making the decision for them as a couple.

It seems keeping all parties happy in this situation is a difficult balance to strike, with only 8% of dog owners agreeing on shared custody over a pet, while 32% wish they hadn’t ‘rolled over’ so easily when it came down to deciding who would keep their dog.

Of course, not all relationships end amicably, so it’s no surprise that over half (55%) claim they would find it too difficult to co-parent their dog with an ex-partner. In fact, 73% admit they would want the dog to remain with them.

Professional dancer and Strictly Come Dancing Star Karen Hauer comments on how she decided who Labrador Marley would remain with, following the breakdown of her previous relationship: “Getting a dog with your partner is such an exciting experience, strengthening your bond over your shared loved for your new addition – not to mention all that family quality time together! However, not all romantic relationships can go the distance. Making the decision to separate is difficult in itself, but there is added guilt and pressure on having to make the decision about who your dog will remain with.

“From a personal perspective, when my relationship ended, both mine and my ex-partner’s priority was putting on a strong front for our dog Marley, and ensuring we made the decision with his best interests at heart. We discussed all the practicalities, from who had more time, who had more space, and ultimately where we thought he would be happiest. Although we decided that Marley would remain with me, our relationship ended amicably and so we regularly worked round both our schedules to meet up for dog-walks following the split. This helped make the transition as smooth as possible for Marley and meant that he could both stay in all of our lives.”

However, with the risk of one person ending up in the doghouse after a relationship ends, pet parents agree (46%) that couples should consider signing a ‘pet-nup’ when deciding to own a dog together. In reality, 55% feel that devising a schedule for visitations and dog walks is the best course of action.

According to the study of over 1,000 dog parents in the UK, it was revealed that Labrador Retrievers

are the most common dogs of divorce, meaning their pet parents are no longer together, closely followed by French Bulldogs and German Shepherds.

The top ten are as follows:

Labrador Retrievers
French Bulldogs
German Shepherds
Golden Retriever
Cocker Spaniel
Jack Russell Terrier
Border Collie
Cockapoo
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Chihuahua

Adem Fehmi, Rover’s Canine Behaviourist comments “When set up right, joint ownership of a dog can work well, even between exes. However, this does require both owners to be on the same page in terms of pet care and routines, as it can be helpful if it can be followed across the board.

“If the dog’s needs are being met in each home – emotionally, physically, and mentally – this can help a dog to adapt to their changing environment. It’s also important that owners be careful not to unintentionally promote behaviour issues such as separation anxiety and, if these do arise, seek professional help to work through such issues together – as a team. Hyper attachment to one particular owner can make the situation of joint ownership stressful for all involved, so encourage your dog to behave, no matter who is homing them.”

For when co-parenting becomes tricky, Rover is offering a code for new users to receive £20 off its services to allow a loving sitter or walker to care for their pet when they are unable to. Enter the code Summer23. Terms and conditions apply.

Further guidance and to find out more, visit [insert link to landing page once live]

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Note to Editors:

A Rover survey of 1,000 UK dog parents conducted via Pollfish in July of 2023.

About Rover:

Founded in 2011 and operating in ten countries, Rover® is the world’s largest online marketplace for loving pet care. Rover connects dog and cat owners with loving pet care whenever they need it. Millions of services have been booked on Rover, including pet sitting, dog walking, in-home boarding, drop-in visits, and doggy day care. To learn more about Rover, please visit https://www.rover.com/uk/.

For more information, please contact:

rover@brands2life.com / 020 7592 1200

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