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Christmas is all about celebrating those you love, and a part of that is spoiling them at Christmas. But the question is, who do you spoil the most: your family, your partner, or, heaven forbid, your pet?
We know how much you spoil someone, whether it’s a friend, a partner or a pet, doesn’t correlate to how much you love them. But it does raise an interesting question: who gets spoiled the most at Christmas? People or pets?
Here, we unwrap why we enjoy spoiling pets so much, share data on who gets spoiled the most, and discuss whether there’s a “right” thing to do.
Why we love spoiling our tailmates
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There’s a simple reason why we love to spoil our tailmates: they’re here for us through everything and, naturally, in return for that companionship, we want to give something back.
But core to this are other emotional, psychological and practical reasons, like:
Being a part of the family
Pets are part of our family - they aren’t just animals to us; they’re our tailmates and, as part of the family, we treat them well.
“Feel good” chemicals
Studies have shown that interacting with our pets, like staring into each other’s gaze, can increase oxytocin, which fosters feelings of connection and trust; it’s one of the key chemicals that make you and your tailmate feel in sync.
Lowering stress
Our tailmates help to lower cortisol, our primary stress hormone, which helps to lower our blood pressure slightly, making us feel calmer. Our pets also help us release more “feel-good” chemicals like dopamine and serotonin.
This all means our tailmates make us feel happier and, naturally, we want to spoil them for it!
Rewarding good behaviour
Giving our pets attention, gifts, and treats is a major part of positive reinforcement training.
Show affection
Spoiling our pets is a nice, tangible way to show the appreciation and love we have for our pets.
Strengthens bonds
While pets aren’t aware of the date and time, having moments to spoil them, like Christmas or their birthday, is a nice way to make memories and celebrate your bond.
Who gets spoiled the most? What our numbers say
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Now, we were actually interested in who gets spoiled more at Christmas: our pets or our partners and we have some numbers which proves it.
We ran a survey of 1.8k pet parents like you, and the results were surprising.
How much do you typically spend on your pet at Christmas?
| How much they spent | % of respondents |
|---|---|
| £0–£10 | 22% |
| £11–£25 | 30% |
| £26–£50 | 29% |
| £51–£100 | 13% |
| £101–£250 | 5% |
| £251-£499 | 2% |
| £500+ | 1% |
How much do you typically spend on your partner at Christmas?
| How much they spent | % of respondents |
|---|---|
| £0–£10 | 5% |
| £11–£25 | 5% |
| £26–£50 | 15% |
| £51–£100 | 28% |
| £101–£250 | 28% |
| £251-£499 | 12% |
| £500+ | 8% |
The most popular answer for spending money on a pet was in the £11-£25 range, while partners were in the £51-£250 range.
But to make things more interesting, a sizeable number of respondents (13%) admitted to spoiling their pet with a designer accessory, while others stated they bought items from brands like Gucci for their tailmate.
So, there we have it: most of us still spend slightly more on our partners than our pets, but one thing is clear: our tailmates are closing the gap.
What’s the “right” thing to do?
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If you’re wondering what’s the right thing to do - to spoil your tailmate or your other mates - then we don’t have an answer for you. It turns out there isn’t a “right” way to celebrate those you love; you can’t put a monetary value on who you cherish the most.
We’ve covered this in more detail elsewhere, like our introvert’s guide on how to celebrate Christmas with your tailmate, but to summarise: there’s no right or wrong answer in how to celebrate. As long as you and your tailmate are together, we’re sure you’ll both enjoy it.
For more, visit ManyPets Approved for some ideas on days out with your pet, from dog-friendly pubs to events, and read our guide on the best Boxing Day walks in the UK if you want to walk off all those extra Christmas treats.
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FAQs
What is the most popular Christmas gift for dogs?
Looking at our data, which asked “what’s the most expensive item you’ve bought for your pet?”, the most popular answer was “toys” with 30% of respondents and 25% on special food and treats. So, it seems like most pet parents stick to special foods and toys.
Is it okay to spend more on my pet than on my partner?
Yes! It’s perfectly okay. There’s no “right” way to spend, and Christmas runs deeper than the money we spend, and that goes for our tailmates, partners, friends and family.
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