Dog Owners Set Aside £6.5B for Pets in Wills

0:00On March 10, nearly half of the United Kingdom's 10 million dog owners have included financial provisions for their pets in their wills. That adds up to an estimated 6.5 billion pounds set aside across those testaments. A recent poll of 2,000 owners, conducted by the Charity Guide Dogs, revealed that 49 percent have made such arrangements. Experts note that owning a dog typically costs just over 2,000 pounds a year for food, yet care, insurance, toys, and other needs. Over dogs average lifespan of 13 years, those expenses total around 26,000 pounds. Younger dogs rack up even higher lifetime bills like 24,000 pounds for a 1-year-old while older ones need less around 6,000 pounds for a 10-year-old. With 10 million dog owning households, this means about 5 million families are planning to leave money behind for their pets. One owner set aside 10,000 pounds each for his two Labrador's, viewing them as full

1:01family members. Many are also directing funds to dog charities in their wills, supporting groups like guide dogs that aid people with side loss. It's clear the bond with our four-legged friends often outlives us.