A new report by GoCompare has revealed how much lockdown has increased the price of purchasing pets.
The price comparison site analysed their own data from over 580,000 pet-insurance quotes since September 2019 to find the most in-demand breeds and most popular names for pets around the country.
The pandemic has seen the demand for pets grow exponentially as the UK continues to welcome new four-legged family members into their homes. But which breeds are costing Brits the most?
Petflation: UK pets have increased up to 450% in value during lockdown
| Rank | Dog Breed | Average cost during lockdown | Average cost year before lockdown | % increase in price | Average increase in £ |
| 1 | Brazilian Dogo | £2,750.00 | £500.00 | 450% | £2,250.00 |
| 2 | Retrievers | £2,500.00 | £450.00 | 456% | £2,050.00 |
| 3 | Bulldog (Toy) | £3,572.64 | £1,844.00 | 94% | £1,728.64 |
| 4 | Russian Black Terrier | £2,800.00 | £1,521.67 | 84% | £1,278.33 |
| 5 | Poodle (Miniature) | £2,129.27 | £860.56 | 147% | £1,268.71 |
| 6 | Munsterlander (small) | £2,375.00 | £1,225.00 | 94% | £1,150.00 |
| 7 | American Cocker Spaniel | £1,608.02 | £485.16 | 231% | £1,122.86 |
| 8 | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | £1,811.30 | £698.36 | 159% | £1,112.95 |
| 9 | Corgi | £1,583.33 | £500.00 | 217% | £1,083.33 |
| 10 | Chow Chow | £2,622.49 | £1,545.19 | 70% | £1,077.30 |
Brazilian Doggo’s have seen a HUGE 450% increase during lockdown, with their price rising by £2,250. Bulldog (toy) ranked as the most expensive breed to purchase overall, and have also seen the third-highest increase of £1,728.64 during the pandemic.
The price of domestic longhair kittens increased by 1463% during lockdown
| Rank | Cat Breed | Average cost during lockdown | Average cost year before lockdown | % increase in price | Average increase in £ |
| 1 | Black Longhair | £887.50 | £200.00 | 344% | £687.50 |
| 2 | Domestic Longhair | £662.50 | £42.40 | 1463% | £620.10 |
| 3 | Longhair Blue Persian | £750.00 | £163.33 | 359% | £586.67 |
| 4 | Havana | £750.00 | £200.00 | 275% | £550.00 |
| 5 | Longhair Tabby | £596.25 | £60.00 | 894% | £536.25 |
| 6 | British White Shorthair | £595.00 | £62.50 | 852% | £532.50 |
| 7 | Persian Exotic | £900.00 | £415.83 | 116% | £484.17 |
| 8 | Burmese Lilac Tortoiseshell | £750.00 | £300.00 | 150% | £450.00 |
| 9 | Manx | £550.00 | £110.00 | 400% | £440.00 |
| 10 | Burmese Cream | £600.00 | £200.00 | 200% | £400.00 |
For cats, the black longhair’s average value has seen the biggest increase at £687.50 more than before lockdown (343.75%). Singapura cats had the most expensive average price at £1,250, however, they have always been one of the most expensive as their increase since lockdown only ranks 22nd at a 25% increase.
French bulldogs and moggies are the UK’s MOST popular lockdown breeds
Since the UK officially entered lockdown on 23 March 2020, smaller dogs and mixed breed cats have been the most attractive pandemic partner.
These breeds are the TOP 10 most purchased during the pandemic
| Rank | Most popular dog breed in the UK in lockdown | Number of dogs | Most popular cat breed in the UK in lockdown | Number of cats |
| 1 | French bulldog | 9324 | Moggie | 12972 |
| 2 | Labrador retriever | 7255 | Ragdoll | 704 |
| 3 | Cocker spaniel | 5269 | Bengal | 559 |
| 4 | German shepherd (Alsatian) | 2645 | British shorthair | 541 |
| 5 | Bulldog | 2082 | Maine coon | 529 |
| 6 | Staffordshire bull terrier | 1906 | Persian | 351 |
| 7 | Miniature short-haired dachshund | 1860 | British blue shorthair | 265 |
| 8 | English springer spaniel | 1856 | Siamese | 257 |
| 9 | Border collie | 1756 | Sphynx | 109 |
| 10 | Golden retriever | 1753 | Russian blue | 95 |
The data shows that out of the 97,732 puppies born during lockdown, 9,324 of these were flat-faced French bulldogs – a clear COVID-19 favourite.
Second place was taken by the larger labrador retriever (7,255), and third was the cocker spaniel (5,269). The least popular breed out of the 50, was an Akita (204).
Low-maintenance moggies have also stolen the show. Out of the 17,424 kittens quoted, and born during lockdown,12,972 of them were moggies. Ragdoll’s (704) placed second, and the Bengal (559) in third. The least common cat out of the 50 was a bi-colour Persian (6)
Mapped: The most popular breeds across the UK
French bulldogs and moggies take the majority, being the lockdown favourite in big cities such as Liverpool, Manchester and Swansea. A popular lockdown cat breed is the ragdoll, being the favourites in Sheffield and Scottish cities.
London favourites differed, as German Shepherd and Bengal cats were the most commonly insured.
Luna, Bella & Charlie are the most popular names for UK pets
Out of all 580,000 pets quoted, for both cats and dogs, Luna, Bella and Charlie are the most popular name of choice. However, for puppies in lockdown, the favourites were Luna (1753), Bella (1492), Milo (1352), Teddy (1352), Buddy (1020). For kittens the top 5 names were Luna (416), Milo (214), Simba (184), Nala (154) Loki (151).
Chihuahua and Main Coone revealed as the MOST instagrammable pets
It’s no surprise that people are showing off their new furry friends online. With a staggering 42.8 million posts on Instagram, chihuahuas claim the crown for the most aesthetic dog breed. Main coon‘s take first place with a huge 9.6 million tags.
The top 10 most instagrammable breeds
| Rank | Dog Breed | Number of Hashtags | Cat Breed | Number of Hashtags |
| 1 | Chihuahua | 42,892,924 | Maine coon | 9,654,668 |
| 2 | Pug | 40,801,203 | British shorthair | 8,840,035 |
| 3 | French bulldog | 38,434,239 | Tabby | 7,436,845 |
| 4 | Bulldog | 36,763,615 | Siamese | 7,170,129 |
| 5 | Golden retriever | 35,868,256 | Sphynx | 6,327,083 |
| 6 | Labrador retriever | 33,549,865 | Persian | 5,981,210 |
| 7 | Siberian husky | 26,843,242 | Ragdoll | 5,081,269 |
| 8 | Dachshund | 25,721,830 | Bengal | 4,927,103 |
| 9 | Poodle | 22,680,467 | Russian blue | 3,374,098 |
| 10 | Pomeranian | 22,032,063 | Exotic shorthair | 2,026,640 |
Sally Jaques, Pet Expert at Gocompare added:
“Since spending more time at home in lockdown, the demand for pets has skyrocketed.”
“While people have more time to spend with their pets at the moment, you also have to consider the long-term commitments of being a pet owner. For example, working from home will allow you to tend to your pets with more flexibility, but there will inevitably be more time constraints in a post-lockdown world, especially if you will be returning back to work outside the home.
“Another crucial consideration is the best type of breed to suit your lifestyle and your financial circumstances. Training your pets takes a lot of time and effort so you need to be committed to supporting your pet throughout their life. We would always recommend researching the breed you are interested in and speak to other owners if possible. Make sure you understand the nature and personalities of different breeds and their unique needs in relation to what you can offer them.”