Pet charity Paws for a Purpose are conducting a national survey to discover the key reasons preventing more widespread pet ownership.

Pet ownership can provide valuable social and health benefits for both pet and owner, but many people, including the vulnerable and elderly, are often unable to experience pet ownership.

Dr Mark Kelman, co-founder and CEO of Paws for a Purpose, said discovering the reasons why people are unable to own pets is key to finding wats to spread the benefits of pet ownership.

“We’ve designed this Pet Ownership Survey to better understand how and why people can and can’t own pets, as first step towards developing projects to support those most in need of help to own a pet or keep their current pets.”

Dr Kelman said pets provide unconditional companionship and owning one can improve well-being and alleviate loneliness and isolation in our communities.

“Yet if you are vulnerable, elderly, disadvantaged or on a low income, pet ownership can often be out of reach, due to a plethora of circumstances.”

You can find the survey here.

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