A new survey has found that man’s best friend comes before their partner for a fifth of Brits, who admitted they would rather cuddle up with their canine.

The research showed that almost a third of UK adults prefer the company of their dog while sitting on the sofa and one in eight choose to snuggle up to their animal instead of their spouse when going to sleep.

Women were closest to their pets with 35% admitting that they prefer to cosy up to their dog on the sofa, compared to 32% choosing their partner instead. Whereas, more than half of men (54%) would rather cuddle their partner.

The data also revealed one in ten British spouses get jealous about the amount of time their other half spends with the dog.

The survey conducted by pet insurer, AnimalFriends.co.uk, asked what would happen to the dog if the couple separated. A quarter said they would try to persuade their partner to give them the dog and 6% said they would offer to pay for the pet.

One in five women said they would physically take the animal after a break-up, compared to 7% of males saying the same.

Westley Pearson, Claims & Marketing Director at AnimalFriends.co.uk commented; “There are plenty of indicators to suggest that pets are being treated less like animals and more like family, from the decrease in traditional pet names against the rising popularity of “human” names for pets, to the rapidly increasing amounts owners spend on spoiling their beloved animals.

“This goes towards explaining the turmoil that can come from having to decide who gets to keep the animal after a couple break up. It can also be suggested that this accounts for the rise in demand for pet insurance, so that these furry family members can be taken care of in times of need”

Earlier this year the Blue Cross found that four pets are taken in by the charity every week following relationship breakdowns so they launched their Pet Nup campaign. This campaign aims to encourage couples to draw up a written agreement detailing what happens to the animal if they break up.

The survey also asked what people would do if their partner didn’t like their dog and found that 41% said they would take no action and they would just have to deal with it, whereas 13% said they would consider rehoming the pet

Shockingly it was revealed that 12% of Brits said they would leave their partner if they didn’t like their dog.

Men were more likely to rehome their dog rather than leaving their partner, with 1 in 6 agreeing with this, whereas the same number of women would leave their partner instead.

The survey also revealed that a quarter of owners have accidentally called their partner the dog’s name.