Six years ago, during pandemic lockdowns, life looked very different. With millions of people suddenly spending far more time at home, many households decided it was finally the right moment to welcome a pet into the family.

At the time, there were plenty of questions about what would happen when normal life returned. Would the pet ownership boom last once people went back to work, started travelling again and found themselves with much less time at home?

Six years on, there’s a clear answer. According to UK Pet Food’s 2026 research, 62% of UK households now own a pet, while the UK is home to an estimated 15.5 million dogs – three million more than in 2021.

But numbers only tell part of the story. What’s particularly interesting is how life has changed around those pets. Here, Kevin Thackrah, Director of Petpals, explores what today’s busy lifestyles mean for demand for professional pet care and why the trends are worth paying attention to for prospective franchisees.

The pets stayed, but life moved on

Think about the daily routine of a dog owner during lockdown. The commute disappeared, somebody was usually at home and a lunchtime dog walk could easily fit around a video call.

Fast-forward to 2026 and that routine is much harder to rely on. People are commuting again, going on holiday, seeing friends and juggling family commitments. Hybrid working has made routines less predictable too, with an owner potentially at home one day and in the office the next.

The dog, of course, doesn’t know that Tuesday has unexpectedly become an office day. It still needs its walk. Owners still want to give their animals the best possible care. They just can’t always be there to do everything themselves. That could mean relying on a regular dog walker during the working week, arranging care while they’re away or simply needing an extra pair of hands when plans change.

These aren’t unusual situations. They’re part of owning a pet alongside everything else that fills modern life. And as owners have become busier again, reliable support has naturally become more valuable.

This has become bigger than the pandemic

It’d be easy to assume that demand will eventually taper off as the so-called ‘lockdown pets’ get older. The latest figures tell a different story.

Perhaps one of the clearest signs that this goes beyond the lockdown boom can be found among younger generations. Recent research shows that 78% of Gen Z and 73% of Millennials in the UK own a pet.^{1 2}

These aren’t simply the owners who brought home a pet during lockdown. Younger generations are continuing to make animals a big part of their lives, suggesting that high levels of pet ownership have much more staying power. For many younger owners, those animals will be alongside them through some of the biggest changes in their lives over the years ahead.

A dog brought home today could be part of the family for well over a decade. An owner’s circumstances might look completely different five or 10 years from now, and the support they need to care for their pet can change with them.

So, the story is no longer simply about the wave of animals acquired in 2020. New pets are continuing to enter UK homes and, with them, come years of responsibility and the potential need for professional support.

One pet, plenty of different needs

That support can also take many different forms over the course of a pet’s life.

A puppy might need daytime visits while it settles into a routine. As it gets older, regular walks could become the priority. Later, both the pet and its owner may need something different again.

And it’s not just dogs. PDSA figures show that 31% of UK pet cats now live indoors only, more than double the 15% recorded in 2011.³ For owners who are away, that can create a need for regular home visits to provide the care, attention and companionship their cats would usually receive from them.

For a pet care business, that means demand can come from different animals, services and stages of life. A customer who first needs help with a puppy may go on to need regular walks or holiday care, while cat owners may need trusted support in their own homes.

At Petpals, providing different services to meet those evolving needs has shown how important that continuity can be. Owners aren’t necessarily looking for a new solution every time their circumstances change. Often, they simply want someone they already trust to be there when they need them.

That creates the potential to build lasting customer relationships around a range of recurring needs. And in a business as personal as pet care, those relationships can be incredibly valuable.

A need grounded in real life

Nobody can predict exactly how Britain will work or live in another six years. But the fundamentals underpinning professional pet care are difficult to ignore.

High levels of pet ownership among Gen Z and Millennials suggest a new generation is continuing to embrace the responsibility of having an animal. And those responsibilities don’t become any less important when life changes around them.

For prospective franchisees, that’s a reassuring foundation on which to build a business. The opportunity isn’t dependent on pet ownership continuing to grow at pandemic-era rates or on predicting what the next big consumer trend might be. The pets are already here, new owners are continuing to welcome them into their homes and the responsibility of caring for them lasts for years.

Six years after the pandemic pet boom, professional pet care is no longer responding to the unusual circumstances that kept so many people home. It’s responding to the realities that came afterwards.

And as long as pets remain such an important part of people’s lives, there’ll be a need for trusted support in caring for them.

¹ Mintel, UK Household Care Habits of Pet Owners Consumer Report 2025, 2025
² Reward and Employee Benefits Association (REBA), Pets: The overlooked ally in Gen Z and Millennial wellbeing, 2026
³ PDSA, PAW Report 2024: Cats, 2024

For more information on franchise investment opportunities with Petpals, visit: www.petpals.com/purchase-a-new-franchise