An Economic Analysis of the UK Pet Dog Market and Animal Welfare: The case of the UK pet dog overpopulation problem

Pets are an important part of our society as they have become ‘part of the family’. However, one of the most important problems regarding the pet dog population is the great number of strays and their management. The annual stray survey conducted on behalf of Dogs Trust, one of the leading dog welfare organizations in the UK, has revealed that each year there are more than 100,000 stray dogs in the UK. To date, their management remains a problem only addressed by Local Authorities.

This thesis’ objectiveis to undertake an economic analysis of the pet dog overpopulation problem in the United Kingdom. It aims to further the existing literature on the pet dog overpopulation problem in the UK and to become a stepping stone on which further research could be based.

Given the limited data available, primary data was collected to investigate the following areas: The fate of stray dogs that entered an animal welfare organization for rehoming; the current Local Authority management of stray dogs; and lastly, people’s attitude towards the issue of stray and unwanted dogs and their willingness to pay to provide a humane management. The methodologies used in pursuing these investigations included advanced econometric models such as the Logistic Regression Model with Multiple Imputation, and the Multinomial Logistic Regression Model and its extensions (i.e. the Latent Class Model). In addition, in order to elicit people’s willingness to pay, the survey based technique of the Choice Experiment Method was employed.

The survey revealed that people are willing to pay both under a voluntary regime and a mandatory regime. The estimated amount was in the range of £2 to £12. This range concurs with the range of donations that animal welfare organisations are advertising in order to raise funds.

This study is the first in the UK literature to conduct an economic examination of the pet dog overpopulation problem. The outcomes derived could be viewed as an initial examination of the UK stray dog population management on which further research could be based.