Quarter of Pet Owners ‘Got Rid’ In Preparation For First Born

March 14, 2011 - PRLog -- With an aim of discovering more about the parenting habits of Britons, the UK’s leading discount website, http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk has conducted a study of 1,193 parents to discover what actions they took when preparing their home and lives for their first child.

The research, conducted by http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk,  initially asked  respondents if they owned a  pet (s) before their first child was born, to which just over half, 53%, answered ‘yes’. The study then found that of these parents, a quarter, 24%, admitted to ‘getting rid’ of their animal before their child was born.

The quarter of respondents who admitted to getting rid of their pet were subsequently asked to explain why they did so. The majority, 41%, stated that they did so for the ‘safety of their baby,’ whilst a further fifth, 18%, explained that they ‘got rid’ of their pet due to the ‘hassle’ of caring for it along with a child.

Furthermore, 9% of those who ‘got rid’ of their pet stated that the decision was made because they ‘couldn’t afford’ to care for their pet along with the expense of a new child.

The respondents who ‘got rid’ of their pets before the arrival of their first child were then asked ‘how did you get rid of your pet?’ to which 27% explained that they ‘gave it to a family friend.’ The majority, 52% had their animal ‘re-homed’,  whilst less than a tenth, 8%, stated that they ‘terminated’ their family pet in preparation for the birth of their first child.  

According to the study by http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, of those who didn’t have pets before the birth of their first child, a fifth, 21%, explained that they would ‘never’ have pets around their children.

Mark Pearson, chairman of http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, commented on the findings:

“This research was conducted in a bid to discover more about how Britons prepare their homes for the arrival of their first child, as every family goes through an inevitable nesting process. Whilst pets are popular amongst many households around the UK, they can pose a problem when a child is on the way, both from a safety and financial angle. Whilst the decision to get rid of a pet is very much a personal one, many children are raised with family pets without problem; so parents needn’t feel that the two cannot live in harmony.”

He continued:

“For those who are concerned about the extra costs involved with starting a family, sites such as MyVoucherCodes.co.uk can drastically help with savings on a variety of products such as children’s clothing, furniture and toys. Having a baby is expensive, so every little saving can help in the long run.”

ENDS

LINK: http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk.  

For more information please contact Charlotte Horsfall of 10 Yetis Public Relations on charlotte@10yetis.co.uk or 01452348211.

Editor’s Notes

Mark Pearson, Chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk is a regular media contributor regarding online shopping and the credit crunch. At 29, his personal worth is more than £30 million.

Mark was previously a trainee chef working for Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, London.

MyVoucherCodes has had sales exceeding £481m in the last year.

Consumer savings on online shopping via MyVoucherCodes.co.uk up from £28m in 2008 to £52m in 2009.

MyVoucherCodes is the UK’s most popular discount site