Four in ten people HATE their neighbour’s pets.

Printer-friendly versionPDF version

Dogs barking through the night, cats using the lawn as their personal toilet and finding the garden has been dug up are just some of the annoyances caused by rogue pets.

Gocompare.com today (11th March 2011) reveals that four in ten people HATE their neighbour’s pets

Dogs barking through the night, cats using the lawn as their personal toilet and finding the garden has been dug up are just some of the annoyances caused by rogue pets.

The study of 2,000 homeowners shows a third feel constantly tormented by the animals next door, and regularly have to check their grass, flower beds and garden furniture for damage.

And one in ten people have had a war of words with their neighbours about their annoying pet.

Other common complaints include footprints left on the car by cats, dogs jumping up and wiping their muddy paws all over clothes and food being stolen from inside the house by four-legged opportunists.

One in 20 people have even been forced to move house because they couldn’t stand living next door to the problem pets any longer.

Phil Paterson-Fox, head of home services for Gocompare.com, who conducted the research said: “It is hard enough to get on with neighbours as it is, without pets making a nuisance of themselves.

“You almost expect to have a few rucks with the neighbours – about parking issues, leaving the bins out, competitiveness and noise pollution – but you don’t expect to have problems with their pets.

“And there is nothing more annoying that flinging open the doors and windows in the morning to find a cat or dog on the loose has made their way into the garden and pulled up plants, created their own toilet or scratched the garden furniture.”

The poll shows the smell of animals next door can cause upset, as can plants being dug up in the garden and cats wailing.

Forty two per of neighbours are criticised for leaving their pets unattended for hours on end while they go to work.

As a result – more than one in 20 homeowners have reported animal cruelty to the RSPCA because they felt a pet was being neglected by its owner.

Unfortunately, 12 per cent of Brits have felt the need to ask a neighbour to stop their dog from barking night and day.

And seven per cent have even plucked up the courage to ask next-door to prevent their cat or dog from leaving poo on the lawn.

Six per cent of those polled admit they are wary of next-door’s pets because they are particularly vicious.

Phil Paterson-Fox continues: "It can sometimes be difficult to approach neighbours about their pets as in many cases, pet owners treat their pets as another member of the family! However, if there is an issue and it can be resolved early on the chances are everyone will then get on brilliantly.

“In all fairness, many neighbours with pets will be blissfully unaware of the trouble their pets are causing whether it’s their dog barking when they’re not there or their cat messing the lawn. In our experience, pet owners are very responsible types and will be all too willing to resolve any issues as soon as they’re aware of them.”

But just under one in 10 people admit they have actually had complaints from their neighbours about their own pets.

TOP 10 PET HATES:

1.Dogs barking or howling loudly night and day

2.Cats that poo in the garden

3.Cats digging up the garden

4.Dogs that poo in the front garden on the way past

5.Cats that wail all night long

6.Cats digging up plants in your garden

7.Dogs that jump up whenever they see you

8.Cats climbing onto the car and leaving footprints

9.The smell of the neighbour’s dogs

10.Cats coming into the house and stealing food

ENDS

About Gocompare.com
Gocompare.com launched in November 2006 to help people find the right insurance cover at the right price. It was founded by Hayley Parsons who has worked her entire career in the insurance broking and aggregator markets and was the first comparison site to focus on displaying product features rather than just listing prices. It was this philosophy that led to Gocompare.com becoming the first price comparison site to be invited to join the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) in May 2008 and helped force older comparison sites to change their ‘quick quote’ ways and stop using assumptions to calculate estimated figures.

Today, Gocompare.com provides one of the most comprehensive online car insurance comparison services in the UK as well as comparing home, pet, motorbike, van insurance and breakdown cover.

Gocompare.com is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

For further information please contact:
Anders Nilsson or Rebecca Jones at Gocompare.com on 01633 657 599/ 01633 654 733