Transport yourself back 130 years (approximately!) Let’s say your heart’s desire is to own a puppy, not just any puppy but a French Toy Bulldog (aka a French Bulldog). How much would you pay for that dog in the equivalent £ today? Would it be a) £600 b) £1,200 or c) £12,000? Here’s a clue…the price of a pup advertised in Field, 1897, was £75 ($94).
£75 sounds like a bargain, until you realise that since the late 1890s there has been 16,000 % inflation. Do the math and that £75 is equivalent to over £12,000 ( $15,000) in the modern day. So much money, can that be right?
To check this out, let’s consider what the average wage was back then. The average for a male worker was £56/year, with a bank clerk cited as earning £52/year. Indeed, in Charles Dickens David Copperfield (1850 – so a little earlier) Micawber tells us: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds, nineteen and six, result happy. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and sixpence, result misery.” So a dog costing £75 would be the preserve of the wealthy only.
Frenchie’s in particular were highly desirable. In the late 19th century they were a fashionable breed, popular amongst the well-off. One example was the Prince of Wales who was given a French bulldog puppy on his birthday in 1899; a gift which was said to have pleased him excessively. There is also the example of the Marquis of Anglesea, who imported a French bulldog from America. Unfortunately, he didn’t obtain the correct import permit in time, which resulted in a fine of £20. This roughly equates to £3,300 – so a not inconsiderable amount. The Marquis disputed the fine, saying he’d cabled ahead requesting the paperwork, and had returned unexpectedly early because of the death of his father. But the British authorities played hardball and fined he was.
So were all dogs so expensive, or just this particular dog? Read the advert carefully and Prince is a prize-winning Kennel Club registered specimen. Not only that but the breed often had to be imported from America or France, as they were not yet well established in the UK. So adding rarity to good breeding, and the price is going to go up. But what about other breeds? Looking at newspapers from the 1850s to 1900 here are some examples:
Setter dog “Perfectly steady and shot over one season.” 1859, £10
Collie dog “Black and tan, young” 1889, £2
Collie female dog £1, 1 shilling 1887
Terrier dog “Will badger, rat, kill, and fight” 1899, £45
Newfoundland dog “To be sold cheap.” 1855
What were the prevalent dog breeds in the 19th century? Prize and pedigree dogs were expensive, but despite this, there was a large dog population made up of working dogs (herding, hunting, guarding), pet dogs, and strays. Dogs were part of the everyday fabric of life, with breeds such as Labrador retriever, spaniels, collies, bloodhounds, and setters being some of the most popular. Amongst their smaller brethren, lapdogs such as pugs, papillons, and cavalier King Charles spaniels were popular companions.
So what other expenses might an owner expect to pay? Dog owners were required to buy a dog license. This Dog Tax was quite lucrative for the State, with the reports [6] quoting Inland Revenue statistics show this tax yielded:
£294,065 in 1873
£313,017 in 1874
This represents 75,906 more dogs licensed in ’74 than ’73, although it was noted: “there is still a large number of dogs uncharged.”
The Dog Tax was a hot topic in the 18th century, to discourage the extravagance of keeping a pet dog at a time when poverty and famine were rife. But in the mid to late 19th century, the argument had moved on somewhat to a debate as to how to monitor and enforce this tax. The sensible suggestion was the police, since they would be best placed to recognise the owners and dogs on their patch. However, there was a counter-argument that the police were there to “To protect lives and property, and keep thieves in check.” It was also said that police enforcement of the dog tax would make them unpopular with the public, and it was more valuable to have a community that respected and cooperated with the police [ * ]
There were also suggested amendments to the Dog License, such as the first dog being charged at a lower rate, with subsequent animals at double the rate in a sort of totaliser model. The idea being to discourage the luxury of keeping of large number of pet dogs. [5] However, in the same article, the author suggests exemptions for working dogs or those keeping packs of animals, such as hunts, since the cost incurred would be excessive! Ironic perhaps for the latter, that those wealthy enough to hunt and best able to pay would be exempt….Food for thought: one man’s essential is another’s luxury!
References
[*] Woodbridge Reporter. 28 February 1878
[%] Scotsman. 14 January 1878
