Survey of the Swedish dog population: Age, gender, breed, location and enrolment in animal insurance

PI sample of the Swedish population was surveyed by interviewing households by telephone. The number interviewed was 11,762, of which 15.5% owned dogs , and of these, 77.9% had one dog. The estimated total population of dogs i n Sweden was just over 800 000. Dog-owning was more common in more rural ar eas compared to larger cities. The numbers of mare and female dogs were sim ilar and few dogs were neutered. Mean age was 5.7 years with median 5 years . Mongrels comprised 13.3% and the most common breed was the dachshund (7.4 %). Of dogs with information on insurance status, 68.4% of the dogs were in sured for veterinary care and 58.3% were life insured.