Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Are dogs and cleaners "must haves" everywhere,or does it depend where you live?

74 replies

Fizbosshoes · 20/10/2020 14:57

When I grew up (1980s, London suburbs) I think maybe 1 school friend had a dog. Having a cleaner (I dont think) was a common thing, although my mum used to do cleaning for an older lady we knew, alongside apart time job.
Now I live in a commuter town. There seems to be an unwritten law that you'll get a dog (mostly cockerpoo/cavapoo/other-poo variety) when your youngest child is between year 3 and year 5.
And I think I have 1 other friend who doesnt have a cleaner.
Is it a generational thing, or defined by area? (I guess the area I live now is "naicer" than where I grew up)

OP posts:
Ladywinesalot · 20/10/2020 15:05

Prob those that can afford too?

Designer dogs are very common these days...

LaurieFairyCake · 20/10/2020 15:07

Must be an area/social class thing

Where I grew up in the 70's there was a pack of dogs, loosely owned by people - they went home at night

And all our Mums were cleaners/housekeepers

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 20/10/2020 15:07

Its a "middle class" thing.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Dogs
Milkshake7489 · 20/10/2020 15:08

Having a dog is common where I am, maybe around 50% of people I know have one...

A cleaner is a much rarer occurrence! In fact I can only think of one friend who employs one.

For context, I live in a traditionally working class area of the north (though not inner city and not especially deprived).

ElevenandTwelve · 20/10/2020 15:09

I don't have a dog or a cleaner. I have two cats and do my own cleaning.

EmmaStone · 20/10/2020 15:09

I live rurally, having a dog is de rigeur. We're quite unusual for not having one. Families often seem to get a dog when all children have finally started school.

Cleaners, again seems very common where I live, although people tend to keep it quiet as once you've found a good cleaner, you don't want them to be poached!!

froggers1 · 20/10/2020 15:13

Oh God. I'm a cliche. Youngest in yr4. Had a Labradoodle a year and got a cleaner starting next week. I had neither as a child and my mum would be horrified at the cleaner ( I haven't told her!)

jessstan1 · 20/10/2020 15:14

It depends not on where you live but on whether you have time and space for a dog, and like having one, and if you can afford a cleaner.

I didn't have a dog because I thought it unfair to leave it when I was at work but would have liked one; I had cats which were easier and a rabbit for a while. Some of my son's friends had lovely dogs as did my neighbours. I employed a cleaner for a while, once a fortnight, it was worth every penny and I would do so again. Where I lived had nothing to do with any of it.

maxelly · 20/10/2020 15:16

This is a fun site, shows that dog ownership has been pretty stable the last few years at about 25% of households and hasn't changed that much over the last 50 years (although the most popular breeds will have shifted a bit). It makes sense that more rural areas will have more dog ownership as it's harder keeping a dog with no garden/access to open space for walks, but I don't think it's particularly a middle class thing, surely dogs are the most popular pet for everyone of whatever income/class status?

www.pfma.org.uk/historical-pet-ownership-statistics

Don't know about cleaners though, sorry! I suspect paying someone to do your housework is a pretty strong indicator of affluence/higher income/middle class-ness though!

Honeyandapple · 20/10/2020 15:18

I grew up in a N London suburb and most people I was friends with had a cleaner.

In fact, during secondary school (same area) they brought someone in to teach us about respect, one of the questions was 'if you dropped a grain of rice on the floor would you pick it up or wait for your mum to pick it ip' a boy answered 'if the cleaner is coming the next day I'll just leave it'. Most of the class agreed.
We continued on with the respect lessons, needless to say.

ANoTail · 20/10/2020 15:22

Don't have a cleaner, pretty sure none of my friends do either. No dog, though DH would love one, as we're out all day. Might get one when we retire but that's a long way off.
My mum was a cleaner (does that count?) and certainly no one around us had one growing up. Quite a few people had dogs, mostly mongrels.

actiongirl1978 · 20/10/2020 15:23

I live in the country and DC are at private schools. Every mum I know has a dog, mainly labradors. We have one which we got when youngest DC in yrR, number two labrador hopefully arriving later in the Yr.

I don't have a cleaner though I don't like the idea of it. No idea about the other mums though I expect they do have them. I just think it's such a waste of money and would be too ashamed for them to clean my sinks when I am perfectly healthy and able to clean my own sinks.

tyrannosaurustrip · 20/10/2020 15:24

That's really interesting re: dog ownership.

I'd be interested to see similar stats about clearers - I think having a cleaner has probably become more typical as two-parent professional households have become more typical: it's still correlated with income/class but I imagine 30/40 years ago a lot of middle-class households would have had one stay at home parent who would have done the cleaning, and now I'd assume the norm is two incomes.

I'd also be curious to see how immigration links into it: every cleaner I have had has been Eastern European, purely because I took a recommendation/answered an ad and that was who showed up. I wonder if as a job where English language skills are needed less it appeals to people who are recent immigrants meaning there's a higher supply than there might otherwise be?

SqidgeBum · 20/10/2020 15:25

I know one person under the age of 80 with a cleaner. They have money. I certainly do not have a cleaner ..... a cleaner would be lovely hahaha.

I know two people in my area with dogs. Most of my social circle dont have a dog. They have careers and fancy cars lovely modern houses, but no dog. I have a spaniel which we got before DD was born.

It must be an area thing.

Scoobidoo · 20/10/2020 15:27

We live in the countryside and I think everyone in my DC’s class has a dog. Not sure about a cleaner - we don’t have one.

OpEd · 20/10/2020 15:28

I've forsaken my cleaner for DC having an extra day in nursery, we do have dogs and a gardener though.

pastabest · 20/10/2020 15:30

@actiongirl1978

I live in the country and DC are at private schools. Every mum I know has a dog, mainly labradors. We have one which we got when youngest DC in yrR, number two labrador hopefully arriving later in the Yr.

I don't have a cleaner though I don't like the idea of it. No idea about the other mums though I expect they do have them. I just think it's such a waste of money and would be too ashamed for them to clean my sinks when I am perfectly healthy and able to clean my own sinks.

I don't have a cleaner (or a dog) but do live in the countryside. I'm considering getting a cleaner as working two part time jobs, with small children and a DH that works 7 days a week I can keep things clean on the surface but stuff like properly deep cleaning the bathroom, mopping the floors, dusting, cleaning the oven etc don't get done as much as I would like as I don't have time.

Nothing to do with being healthy and able, it's about outsourcing the stuff you can't get round to doing to someone else. Which I would also have to do if I had a dog, which is why I don't.

Cosmos45 · 20/10/2020 15:34

I have a dog and a cleaner. I had always wanted a dog but had to wait until I could work from home or afford doggie day care and had a house with a big garden. To be honest my dog has turned out to be a bit of a lifeline really, I live quite rurally and work from home (pre covid) and days could be very lonely without the dog. Most local friends I have now I met during a dog walk and dog walking takes up a lot of my social life.

We have our cleaner simply because we can really. We can afford it, we both work full time and don't want to spend the weekends doing housework. This of course has not always been the case.

EerilyDeleted · 20/10/2020 15:42

Yes, nice middle class area, pretty well everyone I know acquired a dog around the time their DCs were late primary school age if they didn't already have one. Not so many have cleaners though. We have neither. I'd like a dog but we both WOH and it doesn't seem fair.

PurpleHoodie · 20/10/2020 15:45

Owning dogs is a 'Any Class' thing.

Employing cleaners is a 'Any Class' thing.

Owning dogs and employing cleaners, and 'tediously talking about it' is a fashion thing amongst 'high and rich people of all classes'.

randomer · 20/10/2020 15:48

Are the dog and the cleaner connected somehow?

Purpledaisychain · 20/10/2020 15:51

Where I live, dogs are very common. Cleaners, not so much.

Juniperandrage · 20/10/2020 15:52

Because everyone can afford a cleaner...

UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme · 20/10/2020 15:53

Don't you have to have a 'stay at home' or work (permanently) from home responsible adult in the household or be able to take the dog to work, to get a dog?

How many UK households does that apply to outside pandemic arrangements?

If 50% of people have dogs do they all train them properly and pick up after them scrupulously? Or is there a constant sound of barking, dog attacks and dog poo everywhere? Im not sure there's anything middle class or desirable about the later scenario.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 20/10/2020 15:53

Lots of dogs where I live. Don't know how common cleaners are but certainly no one I know has one.

Swipe left for the next trending thread