Chihuahuas top the list of most lavished dog breeds

The size of a dog is apparently no indication of how much owners are willing to spend on it. Chihuahuas, the pint-size dog favored by celebutantes like Paris Hilton, topped the list of breeds that people spend the most money on, according to a study by a British insurance company. The Baltimore Sun's blog Mutts breaks it down:

Chihuahuas -- the breed favored by Paris Hilton and Britney Spears (who reportedly once treated her dog Bitbit to a $180 steak at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas) -- cost their owners about $197,000 each, much of that presumably in clothing, jewelry and other luxuries. The labrador, by comparison, has about $60,000 spent on it in the course of its life.

The study surveyed 3,000 dog owners in Great Britain and looked at the amount spent for vets, food, grooming, kennels and insurance, spread over the breed's average life expectancy. On average, the study said, a dog owner spends about $62,000 during its lifetime.

"Today's household pets are treated more like members of the family, and this attitude is reflected in the amount owners spend on their pets' lifestyle," Mike Pickard, head of pet insurance at esure, which conducted the study, tells the UK Daily Record.

The biggest expense of owning a dog, according to the study? Vet bills, followed by food and kennels.

And now, the company's list of the top 20 costliest breeds:

1. Chihuahua

2. Greyhound

3. Mastiff

4. Boxer

5. English setter

6. Doberman pinscher

7. Golden retriever

8. Poodle

9. Dalmatian

10. Great Dane

11. Whippet

12. Border collie

13. Dachshund

14. Pug

15. Bulldog

16. Beagle

17. Rhodesian ridgeback

18. Labrador

19. Spaniel

20. Jack Russell

-- Tony Barboza

Photo: Shaun Walker/for The Times

Comments

[DPB]

Pathetic. And they are just ill-behaved and vile little beasties too.