LOCAL pet owner, Dawn James shares how her dogs, Fella and Goose, are included as fully-fledged members of the family at Christmas.

Research by Wagg reveals the many ways Brits are involving their pets this season, with data revealing how much money Brits are spending on pets at Christmas.

Dawn from Ross-on-Wye, explained that both of her dogs, Fella and Goose are a huge part of her family and try to include them in as many festive activities as possible.

She said: “Last weekend, we all went to a Christmas market and they came with us to the Christmas tree farm to pick our tree.

“All the family includes the dogs at Christmas time, our dogs have their own stocking, we buy them presents and other family members also buy presents for them - they have a dog-friendly advent calendar each. We sign our Christmas cards from the dogs too.

“It’s Goose’s first Christmas this year, so we’re spending around £100 on a drying jacket for him. Normally we spend around £40-£50 by the time we’ve added up little presents and extra treats for the festive period.”

The study by Wagg, a dog food and treats brand, reveals that as pet ownership has evolved, our beloved animals are becoming fully integrated into special occasions, with over a quarter of Brits (78 per cent) believing it’s important to treat pets as fully-fledged members of the family.

As a result, UK households want to ensure our canine companions don’t miss out on festive activities, with over two-thirds (71 per cent) including not only their pets but friends, families in the celebrations.

With people coming together to socialise, eat tasty food, exchange gifts and create lasting memories, how exactly will our precious pets join us for the heart of Christmas? Wagg reveals the top festive activities our furry friends will participate in, so they don’t miss out on the seasonal joy.

Christmas is all about making memories and capturing them - it’s simply not an option for pets to be excluded. Top of the list for 29 per cent of people is making sure their four-legged family members take the spotlight in festive photos.

It’s also important that our furry friends participate in treating one another in the giving and receiving of gifts, as 28 per cent of Brits are arranging gift exchanges to and from pets.

For our pooch's presents, over half of UK households (55 per cent) are showering them with treats, toys (46 per cent), clothes (19 per cent) and gifting them an advent calendar (18 per cent).

Money isn’t much of a concern here, as Brits are preparing to spend almost as much on pets as they would spend on their friends (£59.80).

Some 63 per cent stated that pets spark joy at Christmas agreeing that Christmas wouldn’t be the same without pets.

Wagg data reveals the merriest ‘woofmas’ includes being with the family more (39 per cent) and going for walks (39 per cent) brings our furry friends the most enjoyment of all.