We all know that our furry friends become an essential part of the family – but if you’ve got a household where mum runs the show, then her perspective on the family pooch is pretty important!
To celebrate Mother’s Day, we asked mums across the UK about the breeds of dog that they love the best, and how they feel about their favourite furry friends. Are they so-so on Schnauzers, or besotted with Bedlingtons? Read on to find out the most beloved dog breeds, as voted for by mums across the UK. And hey, if your mum loves dogs, then make her Mother’s Day with a dog Mother’s Day card!
Most popular breeds beloved by mums
The paws-down winner by a huge margin was the loyal and loving Labrador. Mums across the UK love this always-popular breed best – 18.3% of mums picked the Labrador as their favourite, perhaps because of their well-known (and well-earned!) reputation as a lovely family dog.
Coming in second was the German Shepherd, with 9.8% of the vote. German Shepherds are well known as great guard dogs, so winning over the mums of the UK might be down to how well they can protect their nearest and dearest.
We’ve got another classic breed rounds out our top 3, with 8% of UK mums picking the Golden Retriever. Another loving and sweet-natured canine, it’s no wonder that these ideal family dogs made it into the top of the doggy list.
Other popular picks included the cocker spaniel at 5.2%, closely followed by bulldogs at 4.8% and Border collies, also at 4.8%. More compact breeds like spaniels and bulldogs are a great pick for smaller households, and tend to have less shedding fur to make cleaning up a pain – easier for everyone’s chore rota! Border collies are also famously intelligent, which maybe makes training a good deal easier for busy mums.
Some of the other top picks might be a bit of a surprise – 4% of mums favour a husky, despite them being a large breed (which means any breakable item in the house is at risk) with tons of energy (so everyone will need to pitch in with walkies). Following close on their wagging tails are Yorkshire terriers at 3.8% of the mum vote, beagles at 3.6% and French bulldogs at 3.2%.
Where did your most beloved breed come on the mum-approval scale? Are you feeling offended on behalf of your dachshund or want to shout out your mum and her cavapoo because they’re insufferable? Tag us @thortful on Instagram or Twitter and share your favourite snaps.
How do mums feel about their dogs?
But of course, it’s not just about the breeds – how do mums feel about their canine companions? We all know someone who considers their dog their child – but it’s a bit more controversial if they prefer their dog to their actual children.
Are you fighting with your family’s pooch for love and attention? Do you have one of those families where the dog is referred to as your sibling? Then some of the stats we’ve got to share might ring true with your experiences.
To get all of the doggy details, we asked our panel of UK mums all of their opinions about their dogs, and the results are pretty paw-sitive when it comes to dogs being favoured in families.
As we all know, your dogs become a major part of the family, as much as any human – and unsurprisingly, 90% of the mums we spoke to agreed, saying that their dog is absolutely part of the family. But where things get a little bit more controversial is when it comes to poochie preferences…
As it turns out, 42% of mums reckon that they show their dog more love and attention than their children. In fairness, if you could show your kids how much you loved them with a simple scritch behind the ears and a treat, it might be easier to motivate them to work harder at school or help out with the household chores…
Another surprising stat is that 40% of the mums we spoke to prefer their dog to their children most of the time! If you know a dog parent, this might not come as much of a surprise!
But it’s time to forget about ‘Man’s best friend’ – a whopping 67% of mums would say that their dog is their best friend, which is very lovely to see. With over half of mums (53%) say their dog understands them better than their family – so maybe make some time to check in with your mum before Mother’s Day and make sure that she’s not feeling completely underappreciated.
We all love our dogs, and we all love our mums – so make sure you share the love with her with a perfect Mother’s Day card or gift, from flowers and a card to a bottle of bubbly. For more sweet ideas and fun surveys, make sure you check out the rest of the thortful blog.
