A new survey has revealed that more than one in three pet owners in Southampton admit to having been intimate with a partner in front of a pet.

Pet retailer Jollyes - The Pet People have surveyed 1,080 pet owners aged 16+ across the UK to find out if people value their pets over their partners.

What is even more striking is that the data has revealed that 62 per cent of pet owners in Southampton would choose to keep their pet over a new partner if one had to get the boot.

The data was carried out in January of 2024 with the intension of discovering how Brits secretly compare their pets to their partners.

The full findings for Southampton reveal:

  • 64.81 per cent allowed a pet to come into their bedroom and/or onto their bed.
  • 62.96 per cent said that if a new partner asked them to get rid of a pet, they would choose pet.
  • 37.04 per cent have spent more money on a treat for a pet rather than on a present for a partner.
  • 36.54 per cent have been intimate with a partner in front of a pet.
  • 18.52 per cent said that if a new partner asked them to get rid of a pet, they would choose their partner.
  • 11.54 per cent have forgotten a partner's birthday but remembered a pet's birthday.

A spokesperson for Jollyes - The Pet People said: “We wanted to find out how Brits secretly compare their pets to their partners, which is why in early January 2024, we surveyed 1,080 pet owners across the UK.

“Heavy petting is generally frowned upon in public spaces in the UK, so most people keep their love scenes to the privacy of their own homes.

“But those norms don’t always extend to members of other species.

“More than a third of pet parents in Southampton survey said they’d been intimate with a partner in front of a pet, with more males admitting this has happened than females.”