Pet owners in the UK are a unique breed, where most of them will tell you that they consider their pets as a member of the family and they’re few greater pleasures than caring for their loved ones. They are the members of this society which are the driving forces behind pet franchises and are also often the ones that become pet franchisees. When considering which franchise works for you, you need to understand what will be involved and with pet franchises it helps, a considerable amount, if you are comfortable or love spending time with animals.

Facts about Pets in the UK

These figures were gathered by PFMA

• The pet population is approx. 54 million
• Pets are in 44% of households
• They are 8.5 million dogs, and they are in 24% of households
• They are 8 million cats which are in 17% of households
• Fish equate to around 30-40 million in the UK but only are in 13% of households
• The rabbit population is 0.9 million
• The indoor bird population is 0.7 million
• The reptile population is 0.7 million

According to PDSE, dog owners are likely to spend anywhere between £16,000 to £31,000 in their dog’s lifetime, with £4bn also spent on pets each year within the UK.

The Telegraph revealed that pet owners are claiming more through insurers to take care of their beloved animals, with a staggering pay-out of £1.3 million a day.

Over 100 pets are being abandoned in Britain, every single day, according to the RSPCA.

Pet Franchise Categories

The figures above may come as a surprise to many readers but the pet business is substantial within the UK, which has resulted in many niche pet franchises appearing to cater for the high demands.

Pet Care

Often people with pets will be required to leave their household for a number of days which means they need to find suitable care for their furry family members. This does normally focus around dogs as they aren’t able to feed and take care of themselves, unlike the feline friends who are somewhat independent and self-sufficient. This has created a need for pet care and when you consider that so many pets are being abandoned this has created issues with too many animals needing shelter, something the franchise market is currently combatting. This doesn’t just mean kennels, it can also be pet sitting or boarding; this is something that has occurred because many owners are concerned about how comfortable their animals may be in a shelter and want to leave them in a familiar place. So instead of taking your dog to a kennel, you can get a professional home dog boarding franchise that provides a loving home away from home for your best friends to feel safe when you can’t be there.

If this is of interest, then you should check out the amazing Wagging Tails Franchise that only hires true pet lovers.

Pet Walking

This again is aimed towards K9’s as they arguably require the most support to take care of and require the daily recommended average of 2 walks a day. Unfortunately, many adults just do not have the time to give their pets the exercise they require to stay healthy but want to find a suitable alternative; the franchise market helps here as well by offering professional walkers to ensure your pets keep in tip-top shape.

Pet Products Delivery

As you can see from that statistics above, pets are in abundance in the UK and many owners are choosing highly nutritional diets for their pets, as they seriously care about their welfare. When you look at the food industry for humans in the UK you notice a trend of more people having their food delivered - this is the same for pets. The franchise model offers you a well-known brand to work with at the very beginning of your franchise business; this works really well in the pet franchise industry as most owners are particular about what food their pet has, which creates greater loyalty.

Dog Training

With laws such as the Community Behaviour Oder coming into place for the UK, it is imperative that your dogs are able to behave well in public areas; if something bad were to happen, both you and your dog could be in serious trouble. These laws have created the need for dog training franchises to help ensure you get the best behaviour out of your best friends.

Pet Pampering

This, unsurprisingly, is mainly focused towards dogs again but is isn’t specific to them; it’s like a pet haircut and spa day. This is another franchise model that has emerged due to the number of owners that don’t have the time to look after their animals completely on their own. I mean, after all, if you love them you want them to look and feel the best they can - you know you feel better after a good haircut.

All of these franchises are prospering well in the UK because the UK population loves animals and wants to make sure they have the best lives possible. This industry is unlikely going to take a downturn as most pet owners would rather sacrifice their own comfort over their pets so you can feel secure if you love animals enough to consider one of these franchises.