We’ve looked at some practical ways to manage downsizing premises with existing pets and the issue of whether you’re actually permitted to keep pets where you want to live…now it’s time to tackle the way we keep pets today and the type of pets that are best suited to that type of living.

We’ve discovered that many people find it hard to reconcile their previous experiences of pet ownership with what may be appropriate for their new inner-suburban lifestyle. Our research showed that many people simply could not envisage having a different breed of dog to the one they had as a child, nor could they imagine keeping a dog or cat almost entirely indoors.

The way we kept pets a decade or two ago is very different from the way we keep pets now – the dogs we had in our childhood are likely to have been larger breeds and more energetic, and to have spent most of their time outdoors. It’s all a matter of adjusting our mind-set.