As a nation of dog lovers, it comes as no surprise that we Brits rely on our pooches for a lot. And according to a new survey commissioned by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, on average, our dogs make us smile or laugh 37 times per week. We also rely on our four-legged friends for companionship, emotional support and even exercise, with 81 per of us moving more since having owned one. Quite simply, the benefits of having a dog are endless.
And as we all battle the cost of living crisis and look for ways to save money on our bills, 38 per cent of people surveyed said that spiralling bills have led them to make specific sacrifices so as not to have an impact on their dog. Sadly 1 in 10 say they have already had to give up their dog, as they felt this awful situation just wasn't fair on the animal.
Supporting the campaign, which aims to raise a minimum of £40,000 during the month of December, is comedian, actor and musician Bill Bailey. "This campaign is very much about in response to the survey and it's about trying to get people to donate to these charities, which will mitigate against the spike in numbers of dogs that have been found in rescue centres and shelters and also to provide funding for things like pet food banks around the country," Bill tells us.
"At a time like this when people are struggling, you do think, well, what are the priorities here? And - just being the devil's advocate here - people might think, 'Well, why does that mean pets?' But the thing is that dogs provide so much for people and not just in the way of companionship. They can be a lifeline, they're a way for people to meet others and have social interaction," Bill adds. "They're good for people's physical health, for their mental health and they make us better people. I don't think we can underestimate how important dogs are to people in times of strife and we can all do a little bit to help them out."
A huge animal lover himself, Bill currently has three dogs at his West London home where he lives with his wife Kristin and teenage son, Dax, amongst many other additions.
"We've got various parrots, we took them on as a sort of like temporary 'Well, we'll look after them for a bit' and of course, we've ended up with them for years and years," Bill laughs. "We had a few hens knocking around, we had a few ducks, but they've gone to live out with a friend of ours who lives out in the countryside. So they're on a bit of a sort of country furlough. And we've got frogs and lizards. And so yes, it's quite a sort of menagerie but once people figure out that you're an animal refuge, there's a steady stream of people come to the door: "'Bill, we've got this bird fell out that nest' or, 'Can you look after this hamster?'"
But animal owning is, as Bill says, good for the soul, especially dogs.
"I've had dogs since I was a kid. My mum and dad had dogs, my grandparents had dogs. They've always been around. And I do think that they are quite intuitive. I do really think that dogs can pick up on how you're feeling emotionally, whether there's stress, whether you're down or you're ill. I think there's genuinely a physiological change, that dogs are very sensitive in terms of their olfactory systems, that we probably give off some kind of stress hormone that they can actually sense, they can smell. So it's not an imagined empathy or intuition, I think they genuinely physically pick up on it. And the result of that is that they are aware of things that perhaps we're not aware of because our senses are not so well attuned."
Bill himself has personally found his dogs to be of huge support to him throughout his life, boosting both his well-being and mental health. "I genuinely find that on a day-to-day basis, the dog is definitely a mood lifter. I think sometimes you can get so wrapped up in your own thoughts, problems and issues and they sort of crowd in and you sort of can't see a way through. But just the act of taking the dog up to the park and kind of recalibrating a little bit, you realize what your priorities are. And that boost to your day along with the company really benefits your mental health. You really can't put a price on that."
KCCT is aiming to raise a minimum of £40,000 in December to help various organisations. Money raised from this Christmas' campaign will go primarily towards supporting small charities that are helping people and their dogs in the cost of living crisis, whether that be Pet Foodbanks who are ensuring that dogs can remain in the home with their owners or funding rescues where dogs have been surrendered.
Just £10 can make such a huge difference and could feed a small dog for two weeks. Find out more about how you can support KCCT.