The UK's Most Dog-Loving Places: Where Do Pups Rule the Streets?

COUNTIES, TOWNS AND CITIES WITH THE HIGHEST DOG POPULATION AND THE MOST DOG-FRIENDLY PLACES

Have you ever wondered where has the highest dog population in the UK? Or where has the most dog-friendly places? Well, in this article, we’ll tell you the towns, cities and counties with the highest number of dogs per head of population, and where you can take your dog and get a warm welcome. Maybe you live in or near to one of the places who top the list. Read on to find out.

Where in the UK has the highest dog population?

Where in the UK has the highest dog population? Well, it depends on which study and source you believe, as there are new ones each year.

The size of the UK’s dog population is always changing, and different places top whichever list is the latest one of the towns, cities and counties with the most dogs per person to be published.

A University of Leeds article, published recently in February 2025, talks about how a study mapped the dog population using a specific methodology in what was thought to be a UK-first. The study had some interesting findings.

Firstly, it found that the UK is home to around 13 million dogs, which is much higher than previously thought - 4 million more dogs than previously estimated. In 2014 there were thought to be about 8.5 million dogs in the UK. By 2019, the number of dogs had increased to 9 million, with 23 percent of UK households having dogs. Secondly, the research showed that there were regional hotspots in towns across the UK, like Telford, Darlington and Harrogate.

Led by the Dogs Trust in collaboration with researchers from the University of Leeds and the University of Exeter, the research revealed that Telford in Shropshire was the top dog as far as canine hotspots are concerned, with 8 dogs per 20 people. Harrogate in North Yorkshire had the joint-third highest ratio in the country with 7 dogs per 20 people (Source: Dog population mapped in UK-first - https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news-science/news/article/5730/dog-population-mapped-in-uk-first).

That differs from previous research, which had Swindon in Wiltshire as the dog-loving capital of the UK.

Pet Insurer Waggel compared the 2023 gov.uk data on dog population against the human population of each city that has at least 100,000 people (90 places in total), in order to discover where had the highest rates of dog ownership (Source: New study unveils the dog-loving capital of the UK - https://www.yourpetsdaily.co.uk/article/2024/03/01/new-study-unveils-dog-loving-capital-uk).

The Top 10 most dog-loving cities in the UK with number of Dogs per 1K Humans were, in descending order, Swindon, Chester, Hereford, Cambridge, Solihull, Kettering, Gloucester, Wrexham, Preston and Bath.

That 2024 study found that Swindon “had the highest rate in the cities category, despite being a town”, with the areas featuring on the 2024 list - all boasting a population of 100,000 or more - something that the Swindon Advertiser was justifiably proud about.

It was reckoned that there were 316 dogs per 1,000 people in Swindon at the time - almost a third of Swindon residents with one dog or more.

Second place for the highest amount of dogs per people in the 2024 survey was Chester with 274, and Hereford was third with 271 (Source: Swindon 'has highest amount of dogs per person in the UK' - https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/24164680.swindon-has-highest-amount-dogs-per-person-uk/).

Unsurprisingly, given the statistics, Swindon was also found to be very dog-friendly (and to other pets too):

“The pet-friendly cafes, pubs, and accommodation options reflect Swindon's commitment to fostering a welcoming environment for pets and their owners.”

Which was something else that the Swindon Advertiser was justifiably proud of.

At the opposite end of the scale, in the Dogs Trust research, the lowest densities of dogs were reported for six areas of London – covering districts and postcode areas with N, E, SW, WC, W and UB prefixes, where there was approximately one dog for every 20 people.

This is contrary to a different previous study, which claimed that “London leads the pack as the UK’s Pet Capital” (Source: ‘London leads the pack as the UK’s Pet Capital’ -   https://www.ukpetfood.org/resource/london-leads-the-pack-as-the-uk-s-pet-capital.html).

Taking into account both dog and cat ownership, the findings from the 2024 Pet Population research “confirmed London's status as the UK’s pet-loving capital” – with 46% of homes in London having a dog. That’s just under half.

This is interesting, as some London districts like Tower Hamlets – and Nottingham in the East Midlands too - have introduced dog control measures in the form of public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) that some people view as being tantamount to “a war on dogs in England and Wales” and that the UK is, in fact, actually “becoming unfriendly to dogs”.

The Guardian published two articles on its website in late February - ‘Poo and punishment’ – is there really a war on dogs in England and Wales? (Source: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/feb/26/poo-and-punishment-is-there-really-a-war-on-dogs-in-england-and-wales) and ‘Letters: Compelling cases for canine clampdowns’ (Source: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/feb/28/compelling-cases-for-canine-clampdowns).

The first article led with the assertion that “From fines to outright bans, many councils are clamping down on canines and their owners. But not all the measures – especially the ones that prevent dogs exercising freely – are welcome”.

The second, in response, went with “Guardian readers respond to the claim that the UK is becoming unfriendly to dogs”.

The upshot of the first article is that places like Nottingham and Tower Hamlets in London have introduced dog control measures in the form of public spaces protection orders (PSPOs), tantamount to “a war on dogs in England and Wales”.

“Used by local authorities to combat antisocial behaviour... PSPOs can restrict activities that councillors feel have “a detrimental effect” on the area, including alcohol consumption, begging, busking, rough sleeping, metal detecting, swearing – even climbing trees. But across England and Wales, one of the most common subjects of PSPOs is dogs.

“Many of these orders target dog poo problems, or ban dogs from specific locations such as children’s play areas. Others require them to be kept on a lead in certain spaces. But some go further. A proposed PSPO in Tower Hamlets, London, could ban off-lead dogs in all public places – including the borough’s largest green space, at 86 hectares (213 acres), Victoria Park.”

The issue isn’t only limited to London districts, however:

“Several councils have brought in rules that restrict the number of dogs a person can walk at once, often to four, which professional dog walkers claim risks making their business unsustainable.”

Such moves are leading dog owners and professional dog walkers to regard certain areas as inherently dog-unfriendly. But, rather than concentrate on those parts of the UK, let’s focus on the dog-friendly areas instead. More on that later.

Going back to the Dogs Trust, University of Leeds and University of Exeter research, Dr Kirsten McMillan, Deputy Head of Research at Dogs Trust and lead author of the research paper said:

“It's been fascinating to uncover stark differences in dog density throughout the UK, with Telford and Darlington emerging as leaders, boasting the highest dog-to-human ratios. These and future statistics provide valuable insights into regional trends and the dynamics of pet ownership across the country.”

Their findings differed from yet another 2024 study – one that found that “Glasgow has the highest number of dog owners per capita, suggesting Glasgow is the UK's most dog-friendly city and London is the UK's most cat-friendly city, with the highest number of cat owners per capita” (Source: The UK's Pet-Friendliest Locations - https://www.yourpetsdaily.co.uk/article/2024/02/15/uks-pet-friendliest-locations). 

According to that research:

“Glasgow has the highest amount of dog owners per capita with an average of 31.3 dog owners per 1,000 households (9,927 in total), with Bristol in second place with an estimated 22.9 dog owners per 1,000 households (4,195 dog owners). “

And:

“Lancashire's Rossendale ranked as the location with the least dog owners per capita (10 dog owners in total or 0.36 per 1,000 households).”

The Top 10 Places were, in descending order, Glasgow, Bristol, the afore-mentioned Nottingham (which perhaps partly explains the need for all those dog-control PSPOs), Birmingham, Swindon (top of the list in the other study), Liverpool, Leicester, Aberdeen, Stoke-On-Trent and Coventry. Nowhere in Wales or Northern Ireland.

The lowest number of dogs per 1000 Households were, in descending order, Rossendale, Broxbourne, Merthyr Tydfil, High Peak, Carlisle, Burnley, Scarborough, Lancaster, Barrow-In-Furness, Rochford and Lichfield.

There are many potential explanations for this, including low population density, demographics and cultural differences regarding pet ownership.  

It’s important to note, however, that this study looked at per 1000 Households, not per 1000 Humans, so it’s not a like-for-like comparison.

Dog ownership by region

What about dog ownership by region? Well, according to statistics from some sources, the top regions for dog ownership are all in the North. They are the North East, the North West, and Yorkshire and Humberside (sic).

The Midlands are next, with the East Midlands and the West Midlands.

Then, the East of England, London and the South East.

Next comes the South West, then Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (Source: Dog population in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Dog population statistics by regions of Great Britain 2017/18/19 - https://petsmagnet.co.uk/blogs/news/pet-dog-population-in-the-united-kingdom-of-great-britain-and-northern-ireland).

So, we’ve seen where has the most and least dogs, but where is the most dog-friendly?

Most dog-friendly, by county

The Top 5 Dog-friendly Counties for you and your dog to visit, according to Your Dog - using dog-friendly accommodation, places to visit that welcome dogs, dog walks and more – are Cornwall, Cumbria, Norfolk, Devon and Derbyshire (Source: Top 5 dog-friendly UK Counties - https://www.yourdog.co.uk/travel-advice/top-5-dog-friendly-uk-counties/).

Most dog-friendly, by city

As well as ranking highly in the number of dogs statistics (as far as Scotland is concerned, anyway) Glasgow is also considered to be highly dog-friendly. Using pubs that welcome dogs as a criteria for dog-friendliness, Glasgow is top of the list according to one rundown we found online with a whopping 824! (Source: RANKED: The UK’s Most Pet-Friendly Cities - https://www.sharetobuy.com/news/pet-friendly-cities-uk/). Exeter scored highly across all categories, too.

However, Brighton emerged as the “the number one city for dog owners in the UK”, ranking highly across the board for all of the criteria, which included green spaces, dog-friendly beaches, canine training classes, dog-friendly employers, plus dog-friendly cafes, bars and pubs. Also, if you’d like to socialise with other dog owners, Brighton and Hove is rumoured to have more dog meet-up groups per head than any other city in the country.

Chester ranked as “the third most dog-friendly city” and was “also at the top for pro-canine cafes, with a whopping 20 per 100,000 residents” (Source: The dog-friendliest UK cities, revealed! - https://www.animalfriends.co.uk/dog/dog-blog/dog-friendly-cities-uk/).

Wakefield in West Yorkshire was ranked as “the top city for dog-friendly bars and restaurants” (with 99 per 100,000 of population) in this particular list.

However, if you search for “What is the most dog friendly town in the UK?” in Google, it comes up with Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, which was apparently named “the UK's most dog-friendly town in 2024”. 

Our research online also discovered that, “according to several sources, the least dog-friendly cities in the UK are considered to be London, Birmingham, and Belfast; primarily due to smaller living spaces, fewer green areas for walks, and a higher percentage of landlords not allowing pets in rentals”.

Keeping your dog on a lead

No matter whereabouts you are – irrespective of whether it’s a dog-friendly place or not – you’re going to want to keep your dog on a lead.

Whether you and your dog are in a rural or urban setting, on the beach, in a park or playground, or just walking on the pavement or crossing the road, it is only right and proper that your dog is under control. This can be achieved through the use of a good, strong dog lead, with a well-fitting dog collar to attach it to, and even a supplementary Dog Traffic Control Harness and Handle as well for added all-weather control.

It’s the responsible thing to do.

Here at Maisey Daisey, we have a range of Harris Tweed Dog Leads (https://maiseydaisey.com/collections/harris-tweed-luxury-dog-leads) and Harris Tweed Dog Collars; plus Abraham Moon Dog Leads (https://maiseydaisey.com/collections/abraham-moon-dog-leads) and Dog Collars; as well as Waterproof Dog Leads and Dog Collars, and Waterproof Traffic Dog Handles.

A Dog Traffic Control Harness and Dog Traffic Handle (https://maiseydaisey.com/collections/premium-waterproof-traffic-dog-handle-ideal-for-uk-weather) in addition to your usual Dog Lead and Dog Collar setup is ideal for times when extra control is needed.

Remember, we always donate 10% profit from each and every sale we make to dog rescue causes. This means that, when you buy your Dog Lead, Dog Collar or Dog Traffic Control Handle and Harness from us, it not only keeps you and your dog safe but helps other dogs too.