The 10 best dog-friendly cities in the UK have been revealed

From Country Living

Looking to move to a dog-friendly area in the UK? A new study has revealed the best cities for dogs based on the quality of green space and levels of air pollution.

Conducted by Paws, the research is part of their newly-launched B.A.R.K index (Best Areas of Residence for K9s). The index looks at the numbers of dogs in each city and takes into account the quantity and quality of clean air, places for walks and levels of traffic congestion.

Newcastle comes in on top, praised for its excellent air quality, spacious green parks and low litter levels. In second place is Preston in Lancashire – this Northern city also ranked highly for having large amounts of open spaces for dogs to run around and enjoy.

If you're house-hunting and searching for somewhere your dog will love too, take a look at the winners below.

10 top dog-friendly cities in the UK

1. Newcastle

2. Preston

3. Bournemouth

4. Plymouth

5. Manchester

6. Brighton

7. Leeds

8. Nottingham

9. Bristol

10. Southend-on-Sea

Anyone looking to find out how their city performed can use the interactive map to see how their local area ranked.

SEE MAP

"The UK is known as a nation of animal lovers and increasingly we are seeing more dog-positive changes to our lifestyles," Stephanie Wenban, vet and wellbeing expert at Paws explained.

"The benefits of pet parenting are well documented, including reducing stress levels, encouraging us to exercise and improving sociability. Perhaps it is no surprise we are seeing a move towards more dog-friendly cities - but we have found in this research that location really does matter," continues Stephanie.

3 top cities by criteria

Number of dogs per capita
Preston
Derby
Bradford

Amount of green space
Preston
Manchester
Leeds

Low traffic density
Reading
Stoke-on-Trent
Kingston upon Hull

Clean air
Newcastle
Sheffield
Sunderland

Tidy environment (litter levels)
Bournemouth
Southend-on-Sea
Birmingham

Quality of parks
Brighton
Inner London
Leicester

Dog-friendly pubs
Middlesbrough
Inner London
Nottingham

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