London - More than two in five pet owners have taken time off work – or “pet-ernity leave” – to look after a new animal, a survey has found.
Nearly half have pulled “a sickie”, by feigning illness to care for their pet in an emergency.
Four out of five animal-lovers have either asked or would ask bosses for more flexible hours or the ability to work from home to spend more time with their pet.
And nearly a quarter would change jobs if it improved their pet’s welfare, for example, by having a shorter commute. Meanwhile two in five admitted thinking more about their pet than their partner during the day.
But three in five Britons agreed that owning a pet made their social life more challenging.
There are around 53 million pets in the UK, according to the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association.
Tanguy Peers, of online pet-sitting forum Pawshake – which commissioned the poll – said: “We have seen that pet-ernity leave is an emerging trend.”
Daily Mail