Which area in the UK has the most dogs (per household)?

When starting up a new dog walking business, or expanding an established one into a new area, doing some due diligence and seeing if there are enough dogs to sustain a new walker in that area is a great starting point for your research.

Top of the list is EH25 (Edingburgh) with a whopping 5.9 dogs per household. So according to the APHA research, this Edingburgh household has the most amount of dogs per household in the UK. Read on to find out why that’s not entirely accurate.

In May 2023 the Animal and Plant Health Authority (APHA) released a modelled dataset which estimated the number of dogs per household in every UK postcode district. Let’s take a look at the figures and see how it helps you.

What is the Animal and Plant Health Authority (APHA)?

The Animal and Plant Health Authority (APHA) is an executive agency of the United Kingdom government. Its primary responsibilities include safeguarding animal and plant health in order to protect the country’s rural economy, environment, and public health.

The APHA carries out various functions to achieve its goals, including:

1. Disease Surveillance: Monitoring and surveillance of animal and plant diseases to identify and respond to potential outbreaks promptly.
2. Disease Control and Eradication: Implementing measures to control and eradicate diseases that affect livestock, poultry, fish, and crops.
3. Import and Export Controls: Regulating the movement of animals, animal products, plants, and plant products to prevent the introduction or spread of diseases.
4. Veterinary Services: Providing veterinary expertise, support, and advice to farmers, animal keepers, and veterinarians.
5. Research and Development: Conducting scientific research and development activities to improve understanding, prevention, and control of animal and plant diseases.
6. Public Awareness and Education: Raising awareness among the public, industry stakeholders, and relevant authorities about animal and plant health issues, biosecurity measures, and disease prevention.

What does modelled dataset mean?

The data contained within this APHA dataset are modelled figures, based on national estimates for pet population, and available information on Veterinary activity across GB.

So instead of going to every single house and counting the number of dog owners, which would take a lot of time and effort, the figures are based on estimates for the number of dogs in the UK and veterinary information. The first option would be a real-world dataset, and the second is a modelled dataset.

Modelled datasets may not capture the complexity, variability, and nuances of real-world data which is why some of the figures may not be entirely accurate, especially some of the anomalies at the upper end of the figures.

Why are some of the figures so weird?

Obviously, the first figures I looked at were my own postcode and then after that, it’s natural to wonder where in the country has the most dogs per postcode.

Top of the list is EH25 (Edingburgh) with a whopping 5.9 dogs per household. So according to the APHA research, this Edingburgh household has the most amount of dogs per household in the UK.

WHAT?!?!?!?!

Almost 6 dogs per household is clearly an anomaly…but why?

EH25 turns out to be the postcode for the The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Hospital for small animals. So it’s fair to assume this may have skewed the figures a little.

Other high scoring postcodes include LL23 (Rural west Wales) and SA63 (mid Wales) which are known for a higher than average number of dog breeders and as they’re both rural areas, farms may well have more dogs than the average UK household.

Lower scoring areas, particularly those with a zero, turn out to be either industrial or commercial areas of warehouse units, retail outlets or retail parks which make sense.

What is the average number of dogs per household per postcode?

So bearing in mind this is a modelled dataset and there are some clear anomalies at either end of the scale, it may be wise to take the average and then take a look and see if your area is above or below the average.

Above average would indicate a higher number of dogs per household and a good location to start a dog walking business in (checking of course that the area isn’t already saturated with walkers).

Lower than average would indicate that there are fewer dogs per household and start up in these areas may be more difficult.

So according to the APHA research model, the average number of dogs per household in the UK is 0.5 (one half of a dog per household). So if you knock on two doors, one of those houses is likely to own a dog.

The good news is that out of the 2830 postcodes in the UK, 1037 have a higher than average number of dogs per household. (see the sheet below for the exact figures.)

Higher than average list

Link to original research;

Data.gov.uk. (2023, May 25). Dog population per postcode district. Retrieved June 16, 2023, from https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/ec8fc820-2e36-49d0-a09c-e2901e10b2e4/dog-population-per-postcode-district