Intimate Lives of Brits Ruffled by Slumbering Pets, Survey Reveals

A recently unveiled survey points towards the intriguing role our four-legged companions play in British bedrooms. Almost 1 million UK adults, exactly 832,557, claim they utilise the pretext of a sleeping pet on the bed as a reason to abstain from sexual relations with their partner. This curious detail came to light in a new research conducted by Lords and Labradors, a luxury British pet brand.

The study delved into the impact of the UK’s cherished pets’ sleeping habits on their owners’ intimate lives and the number of adults who place their pet’s needs above those of their partners.

A noteworthy 41% of respondents admitted that the practice of letting their pets snuggle up in bed has influenced their sex life to some degree. Additionally, 11% expressed feelings of guilt that hinder them from moving their pets when found sleeping on the bed, thus affecting their intimate relationships.

Interestingly, about 23% of participants would only engage in intimate relations if they could summon the courage to relocate their slumbering pets from the bed. Furthermore, 14% of women admit that having their dog sleep on the bed has negatively impacted their sex lives and led to decreased intimacy due to guilt over displacing their pet. The male demographic shows a lower impact, with just 7% admitting the same.

The regional data indicates that Belfast leads with the highest percentage of residents whose sex lives are influenced by their pet sleeping on the bed (61%), closely followed by Glasgow and Manchester at 55%. Meanwhile, Norwich ranks the lowest in this peculiar scenario, with a figure of 17%, with Liverpool (26%) and Southampton (28%) trailing just ahead.

Lords and Labradors didn’t stop at that. The survey also compared the quality time spent with pets versus that spent with partners. On average, Brits dedicated seven hours of quality time to their pets compared to six hours with their partners.

Interestingly, women reserve more quality time for their pets (eight hours per day), compared to six hours with their partners. Men, on the other hand, allot six hours for their pets and seven hours for their partners.

The investigation also brought to light that more than half of the Brits (56%) treat their pets more often than their partners, while almost half (49%) use pet names for their four-legged friends more frequently. More than a third (35%) of participants confessed to cuddling their pets more often than their partners.

Various other activities were also examined, with results showing 27% of Brits favour napping with their pets over their spouses, and 16% shared this activity equally with both.

Interestingly, 43% of UK adults expressed that they were more likely to scold their pet than their partner. However, for 18%, it was the reverse.

When pushed to make a choice between their partner or their pet, an interesting 16% chose their pets. A difficult decision for 21%, while nearly 9% preferred solitude. A slight majority of 55% would choose their partner.

The data also showed that women were more likely to pick their pet over their partner (18% compared to 12% of men), and more women struggled with the decision (24% compared to 17% of men).

Regionally, both Norwich and Sheffield recorded the highest percentage of residents choosing their pet over their partner if forced to decide, standing at 23%. This research certainly paints a peculiar picture of Britain’s relationships and the significant role their furry friends play within them.

 Further information on the study as well as further tips for dog owners can be found here: https://www.lordsandlabradors.co.uk/blogs/journal/are-the-nations-pets-ruining-their-sex-lives