Interesting Facts

In the UK it is illegal for a dog to poo in your garden, but not a cat. (That said, public fouling is only an offence when it is not immediately cleaned up. UK dog owners who fail to scoop their dog's poop can be slapped with a £1,000 fine under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.  But cats can pretty much do what they want, when they want; hence their expression of superiority.)

According to a poll carried out by unbiased.co.uk, around 1.5million Brits plan to leave their money to their pets. By muddybunny | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon (Unsurprisingly, most people, 29 million of them, said they would leave their money to their children, followed by partners or spouses (26million) and then other relatives (nine million). Nearly 4.5million, said they intend to leave their money to a charity, while three million plan to name a friend in their wills. The family dog or cat was sixth on the list of beneficiaries, trumping the Church and secret lovers, which were seventh and eighth. I wondered why Sam and Laika were going through the papers on my desk the other day.) Source

According to the Pet Plan pet census, 65% of pet owners in the UK believe that having pets in the workplace is good for the health and well-being of employees. (I'd have to agree with them.  I work from home and my two dogs are always making me get off the computer, hence preventing RSI and back problems.) Source:  http://www.petplan.co.uk/petcensus/censusinfo.pdf

According to the Petplan pet census 50% of people in the UK think that having a pet improves their social life. (In fact 72% of respondents said that strangers were more likely to interact with them if they were with their pet.  Now of course this could be a good or a bad thing, depending on the stranger, but  it looks like if you want to improve your English, get a dog and move to the UK.)

According to a report published by the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, in 2010, South Korea had the fastest broadband in the world. (South Korea recorded a nice, healthy, average speed of 14.6 Mbps, while Japan occupied the second spot with an average speed of 7.9 Mbps. Constanta in Romania was found to be the fastest European city for broadband, with internet users able to download at an average of 8.23Mb. And the UK? 26th place! I checked my speed last week, and found I get a measly 3.5Mb. So, it's no wonder it takes me so long to post here!)

According to the Times, rabbits are the third most popular pet in the UK. (There are around 1.6m bunny owners in the UK. So, maybe Hugh Hefners' will find a good home.)

According to the Office of National Statistics, the weekly spend on pets in the UK ranks 37th, ahead of cosmetics, cakes and holidays in the UK. (Fifty years before, in 1957, it ranked 49th. Of course my guys take this as a matter of course.)