Dogs now outnumber children in some neighbourhoods in England as young couples increasingly delay or shun parenthood. 

In total, one in three English postcodes are home to more dogs than children. 

The disparity is greatest in Liverpool where there are an estimated 17,786 more dogs than children. 

On Lunchtime Live, journalist Andrea Smith, who owns seven dogs, said she is not surprised that more and more people are getting pets instead of starting families.  “I do think that having pets, it's way easier than having children,” she explained. 

“It's like, you get all the love, you get all of the fun, but you don't get the cheek and you don't get the huge expense.

“I don't have to save money for college funds and I don't have to bring them to Disney and all that kind of stuff.

“The local park will do it for them.”

A woman with a dog. Picture by: Alamy.com.

While inflation may have fallen in recent years, Ms Smith added that it is important to remember that the cost of living is still high. 

Housing especially remains hugely unaffordable for those who do not own their own home. 

“You can see that people can't afford to have the kind of big families that were the norm in our youth,” she said. 

“None of my friends have more than one or two children and a lot of them are saying it's due to expense, so I can see why that is.”

Despite this, Ms Smith noted there is a “fatal flaw” if you plan on making a pet your family. 

“They just don't live long enough,” she said sadly. 

“The pet that you have now, you're not going to properly have in 10 or 15 years. 

“So, there isn't a longevity in having pets instead of children, whereas hopefully your children will look after you in your old age.”

Main image: A young boy with dog. Picture by: Alamy.com.