“These statistics give us a really lovely insight into the types of pets Australians are welcoming into their homes,” Nadia Crighton from Pet Insurance Australia says. “It’s a great mix of traditional pure-bred cats and dogs and our wonderful array of mixed breeds.”

When choosing a cat or a dog for your home, Pet Insurance Australia recommends researching the type of breed and their compatibility with your lifestyle.

“Particularly with dogs, different breeds require different levels of exercise,” Crighton suggests. “Some simply adore a Netflix binge on the couch, while others will require a decent amount of exercise to keep them happy and healthy.”

Ensuring you choose a pet that suits your lifestyle is very important.

“Even with cat breeds, some are much more vocal than others, while some felines are ultra smoochy, and some quite aloof.”

This information will ensure your future pet will fit with your lifestyle perfectly and prevent the thousands of pets looking for their forever home in a shelter situation.

“We always encourage people to look past the atheistic qualities of a pet and make sure their typical breed traits suit your household,” Crighton says. “Also consider adoption, even if you have a particular breed in mind, contacting local breeders who offer rehoming services or calling your local shelter can allow you to offer a pet a forever home while obtaining the pet of your dreams.”

Also consider:

• How much room do you have? This will impact the size of the pet you can have.
• How much time do you have?
• How active are you and your family?
• How much training will the dog require? 
• How much experience do you have with training?

“There are plenty of breed selector tools on the internet that can suggest the best breeds for you and your family,” Crighton says.

Most Common Dog Breeds Born in 2022

1. Cavoodle
2. Golden Retriever
3. French Bulldog
4. Golden Doodle (Groodle)
5. Border Collie 
6. Miniature Dachshund
7. Labradoodle
8. Labrador
9. German Shepherd
10. Maltese Cross

Most Common Cat Breeds Born in 2022

1. Domestic Shorthair
2. Ragdoll
3. British Short Hair
4. Tabby 
5. Ragdoll Cross
6. Maine Coon
7. Burmese
8. Devon Rex
9. Bengal
10. Peke-Faced Persian

“The Doodle breeds are certainly still a big favourite in Australia, and it’s great to see some cat breeds that were previously rare, like the Bengal and Devon Rex, climbing up the charts,” Crighton says.

Terms, conditions, waiting periods and exclusions apply. Pet Insurance Australia is issued by The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd ABN 78 090 584 473, AFSL 241436, is arranged and administered by PetSure (Australia) Pty Ltd ABN 95 075 949 923, AFSL 420183 (PetSure) and is promoted and distributed by PetSure’s Authorised Representative (AR), Pet Insurance Australia Pty Ltd ABN 85 113 507 850, AR 326233. Any advice provided is general only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. Please consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to ensure this product meets your needs before purchasing. PDS and Target Market Determination are available at petinsuranceaustralia.com.au.