www.allaboutpets.org.uk

LONDON - The British are renowned for many things; tea drinking, good humour and love for pets, but a nationwide study conducted by 'All About Pets', a new social network site for pet lovers, reveals that, whilst British people may love their pets, they know little about them.

Billed as the 'Facebook for pet lovers', All About Pets
(www.allaboutpets.org.uk) has been developed by The Blue Cross, Britain's Pet charity since 1897, to give pet lovers a new way to communicate, and a place where they can meet like-minded people to share experiences or advice about their pets.

An estimated 24,255,000 people in the UK own a pet, ranging from dogs, cats and rabbits to the more exotic snakes and spiders. Dogs and cats have traditionally been the most popular British pets. Their population has remained fairly stable over the past six years and in 2002 amounted to 13 million. In 2004 there were: 6.1 million cat owning households, 5.2 million dog owning households, 4.1 million fish owning households, 1.96 million rodent owning households and 1.39 million bird owning households.

In the research study, 1,000 pet owners were asked a series of questions about pets including cats, dogs, horses and goldfish. The research revealed that:

o Nearly 60% did not know that cats always land on their feet

o Over half were unaware that it is not normal for dogs to have smelly breath

o Over 85% did not know that it is impossible to tell the age of a horse by looking at its teeth

o 60% were unaware that goldfish have more than a 3-second memory

Read the full survey findings and take the All About Pets quiz at:
www.allaboutpets.org.uk

All About Pets is completely free to join. The advantage of All About Pets over other social networking sites is that it works as an authorative and reliable information directory - there is a strong emphasis on the site being used as an information resource. The Blue Cross has produced over 80 leaflets on all aspects of pet care which are available to view, print or download free from the site. Pet owners with specific problems or those with advice to share can also set up forums and social groups to discuss ideas
across the entire network.

Members can create profiles for themselves and their pets, upload photos or links to videos and showcase their pet's talents. They can also view other people's pets, photos and videos and even rate them. Members can take part in discussion forums and polls on topical subjects, promote their own events or find out what is happening in their area, and get the latest in pet news.

Debbie Curtis, Blue Cross Head of Communications said: "The findings are quite surprising considering that the British are often considered to be a nation of pet lovers. The research suggests that the British probably love their pets more than they know about them. We hope All About Pets will become a useful destination for anyone interested in meeting likeminded pet lovers or finding out more information about pets.

"As one of the UK's oldest animal charities, The Blue Cross has a wealth of experience in pet care. But we also recognise that there are many pet owners out there with their own unique experiences to share.

"All About Pets is a fun, informative and entertaining website where people can go to celebrate the joys of pet ownership with other like-minded people and, in time, we hope All About Pets will become the place to go to talk and learn about pets."

www.allaboutpets.org.uk