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A goldendoodle has become the UK’s most sought after dog, latest figures suggest.
Adverts for the crossbreed, which is a mixture of a golden retriever and a poodle, attract more than 800 views per puppy says rehoming site Pets4Homes.
Golden retrievers are attracting an average 700 views per tiny pooch with maltipoos placing third in the list of 12 most in demand breeds, with 697 views per advert.
The information has been gathered from two million weekly visits to the Pets4Homes website.
The figures also suggest interest in poodle cross breeds remains very strong, making up four of the top seven popular breeds with the labradoodle and cavapoo also in the mix.
Further down the top 12 are whippets with 660 views per dog advert, Hungarian vizlers with 623 and the cavalier king Charles spaniel with 615 views per advert. Boxers were in 12th with 585.
But the company’s data also points to interest in flat-faced breeds now being in decline.
The number of French bulldogs rehomed in the first half of 2023 fell by 47% compared with the same period last year while the number of English bulldogs being rehomed, it adds, has also dropped by almost half.
Both could be a result, suggests Pets4Homes, of more owners researching the health issues that can be associated with such breeds before choosing to rehome them.
Interest in pet ownership peaked during the pandemic – when lockdown and lifestyle changes led to many more households seeking a companion while they spent more time at home.
However the number of prospective new buyers is now falling, confirms the industry report, with the number of available puppies suspected to be decreasing now too as interest returns to something more akin to pre-pandemic levels.
Some breeds though, says Pets4Homes still remain ‘overrepresented’ in shelters where racing greyhounds, Staffordshire bull terriers and German shepherds are the types of dog most commonly found up for adoption.
Pets4Homes chief executive Axel Lagercrantz said: “After the instability seen across the pet market in the years after lockdown, these figures from our latest Industry Report indicate that we have now reached a ‘new normal’ in the pet sector.
“Supply and demand for pets have realigned and pet prices are starting to rise for the first time since 2021, after reaching a peak of £2,237 during lockdown.“
Currently the most expensive dog breeds on the market, according to Pets4Homes data, are the English bulldogs coming top at £1,704. Chow Chows follow at £1,694 and then firm family favourites golden retrievers at £1,494.