Nottingham ranked as Britain’s most dog friendly city as researchers praise veterinary services and parks

Nottingham has been revealed as the best British city for dogs and their owners, according to an extensive study.

Raw dog food brand, ProDog Raw conducted extensive research to reveal the best and worst cities in Britain for dog owners. When choosing the ideal place to live with a pet dog, it is important to consider local veterinary care, enough space for regular exercise, and access to food among other factors.

Researchers considered the factors which matter most to dogs and their owners, when deciding on a score for each city. The research factored in access to and the quality of public parks, the average size of domestic gardens, the variety of pet supplies stores, how many dog-friendly pubs are nearby and much more.

Nottingham ranked first out of the 30 cities analysed for the study, with Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Bristol, Liverpool and Preston making up the rest of the top five cities.

Nottingham ranked first for its veterinary services, second for its pet supplies stores, second for its parks and fifth for its local groomers. All of which helped to secure the top overall spot, despite being ranked the fourth most-congested city on the list and 24th for the average garden size.

The city that didn’t fare so well in the study was Coventry, who scored the lowest overall out of the cities included on the list. The remaining four rounding out the bottom five included Doncaster, Southend, Portsmouth and Bradford.

Local parks are essential for all dog owners with the regular trips out for exercise, or socialising with other local pups, this study found that dog owners in Stoke-on-Trent have the best access to parks.

Whilst Reading is the best place to go if you want your four-legged friend to accompany you for a pint or quick bite to eat - with the ample offerings of dog-friendly pubs.

Heidi Maskelyne, ProDog Raw’s CEO, said: “All dog owners want the best for their pets, which usually means having good access to a variety of places to exercise them, pamper them, care for health needs, feed them and of course to just enjoy their company and socialise.

She continued: “Our in-depth research dived deep into all sorts of data to find out which large, urban areas cater best when it comes to those things and we think we’ve put together the ultimate guide to dog-friendly cities as a result.

“Research shows there are more dogs in the UK than ever before as more people become pet owners, so it’s really important the nearby environment is suitable for them to lead happy, fulfilled lives - something ProDog Raw is deeply passionate about.”