Dogs Trust study reveals the top regions for pet wellbeing – and what owners can do to boost their dog’s daily joy
Where’s the best place to be a dog in the UK? A new report from Dogs Trust may have the answer – and while Plymouth, Liverpool and Belfast top the city leaderboard, it’s good news across the board for Britain’s 12 million dogs.
The charity’s new Happy Place Index is based on the Canine Happiness Score (CHS), a formula developed by Oxford-educated philosopher Professor Mark Rowlands. Drawing on survey data from 5,002 UK dog owners, the report ranks locations on how well they meet dogs’ physical, social and emotional needs.
Three types of ‘good’ make up the score:
- Animal Goods: food, shelter, veterinary care
- Social Goods: companionship, routine, quality time
- Individual Goods: enrichment, stimulation and emotional connection
The formula, 0.4A + 0.4S + 0.2I, reflects the relative ease of measuring physical and social wellbeing compared to emotional factors.
Headline city scores include Plymouth (7.26), Liverpool (7.21) and Belfast (7.20), while the highest scoring regions overall were Northern Ireland (7.55), the North West (7.54), and Scotland (7.53).
Encouragingly, all areas scored above six, showing a strong national standard of care.
London ranked highest for Animal Goods (8.65), Brighton & Hove led individual cities in this category, while Northern Ireland topped the Social Goods score – buoyed by dog-friendly habits such as bringing pets to family meet-ups and pubs. Two-thirds of owners admitted cancelling plans just to stay home with their dog.
However, time left alone remains a concern. The national average is five hours – longer than Dogs Trust’s recommended four. In lower-scoring regions like East Anglia and Cambridge, owners were more likely to skip walks in winter and exceed the recommended alone time, despite high levels of emotional attachment.
Professor Rowlands said: “Taking the time to ensure our dogs are left alone for that little bit less, and trying to ensure walking consistency all year round can pay dividends for our four-legged friends.”
Individual Goods – the most abstract but arguably most powerful category – showed the strongest scores nationwide, with London, the South East and West Midlands all scoring above 9.5 out of 10.
“Dogs have an extraordinary ability to make the most of what they’re given,” said Rowlands. “This is something from which we can all learn.”
Dr Rob Christley, Head of Research at Dogs Trust, added: “There always has to be a last place, but this doesn’t equate to failure. With all regions scoring over 6/10, the UK clearly understands what it takes to provide a Happy Place for dogs.”
The full Happy Place Index and survey methodology are available via Dogs Trust: http://dogstrust.org.uk/happy-place