How our furry friends are embracing the digital age

More than five million Aussies - or 70 percent of dog owners - have shown off their furry friends on social media, a new study has found.

And one in four owners, or about two million people, have set up social media accounts specifically for their pets.

The research, undertaken by YouGov on behalf of Orivet, a Melbourne based pet health biotechnology company, highlights the evolving lifestyles of man’s best friend, perhaps influenced by the past couple of challenging years.

Some variations in ‘pet perks’ were identified amongst different pet breeds with owners of poodle - mixed breed dogs (‘oodles’) more likely to spoil their canine than other breed owners with a third stating they cook for their dog all the time and almost a quarter of these privileged dogs eating at the dining table.

Benefits also extend to travelling in the family car as many owners (26%) report their dogs have ridden ‘shotgun’ in the front seat of the car while other family members sat in the back.

Orivet CEO George Sofronidis saoid: “Perhaps what struck me most was how forgiving we are of our canine companions. Almost half of the owners surveyed admit their dogs have caused some havoc around the house coming inside wet or muddy and shaking dry (49%), eating socks, underwear, or other clothing (30%), destroying furniture (23%) and hiding a bone/food in furniture/around the house and letting it slowly go rotten (22%).

"Yet still we love them, as despite these transgressions, many dogs are treated like treasured family members and more than four in ten (42%) pet owners said they allowed their dog to sleep under the covers in their bed.”

As far as entertainment for dogs goes, while the ball remains the firm favourite toy for dogs, some 6% of respondents, the equivalent of 460,000 dog owners, stated that the family cat was the dog’s favourite toy.