Revealed: The most dog-friendly areas in Wales

The best areas for dog owners in Wales has been revealed according to a new ranking which analysed factors related to owning a dog.

Pet accessories retailer Fur King used Foursquare Places data to analyse eight factors related to owning a dog for 355 local authorities in the UK.

The study analysed the number of dog parks, vets, pet grooming services, petting sitting services, pet supplies stores, pet cafés, animal shelters and beaches in each Welsh area, with Ceredigion coming top in the best area for dog owners in Wales.

For every area, a score out of 10 was given to each factor, which was relative to the area’s population. Based on these scores, an overall score out of 100 was calculated for each area which has determined the ranking.

Topping the list as the best area to own a dog in Wales is Ceredigion, with an overall score of 53.7 out of 100 in the study. The county includes the towns of Aberaeron, Aberporth, Aberystwyth, Borth, Cardigan, Lampeter, Llanarth, Llanddewi Brefi, Llandysul, Llanilar, Llanrhystud, Llanon, New Quay, and Tregaron. Ceredigion has a total of 13 vets, 25 pet supplies shops and 10 beaches to take furry friends.

In second place is the Vale of Glamorgan, with a score of 48.5 out of 100. Barry, Cowbridge, Dinas Powys, Llantwit Major and Penarth are the largest towns in the county, which are home to 29 beaches, seven dog parks and eight pet grooming services.

Flintshire is third, with a score of 47.1 out of 100 and is home to the towns of Buckley, Connah’s Quay, Flint, Hawarden, Holywell, Mold, Queensferry, and Shotton. There are 14 dog parks, 28 vets and 53 pet supply shops in the area.

Fourth on the list is Gwynedd, with an overall score of 46.8 out of 100. The county includes the areas of Aberconwy, Arfon, Dwyfor, Meirionnydd and Anglesey, and is home to 42 beaches, one pet café and eight pet sitting services.

Pembrokeshire follows in fifth place, scoring 44.7 out of 100 and includes Britain’s smallest city, St Davids, as well as Haverfordwest, Tenby, Pembroke, Narbeth, Fishguard, Saundersfoot, Solva and Newport. The county is home to 23 vets, 42 beaches and 39 pet supplies shops.

Neath Port Talbot takes sixth spot, with a score of 36 out of 100. The county borough includes the towns of Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe and is home to 16 pet grooming services, two pet cafés and 14 pet sitting services.

In seventh place is Monmouthshire, with a score of 39.2 out of 100. Aside from the town of Monmouth, the county includes the towns of Abergavenny, Caldicot, Chepstow and Usk, and is home to five dog parks, 17 vets and 42 pet supplies shops.

Bridgend ranks eighth, scoring 39.1 out of 100 in the study, with the county home to the towns of Bridgend, Maesteg, Pencoed and Porthcrawl. In total, there are six dog parks, 40 pet supplies shops and 10 pet grooming services in the area.

Ninth on the list is Carmarthenshire, which scored 39 out of 100. The county includes the towns of Llandovery, Carmarthen, Whitland, Lampeter, Ammanford, Newcastle Emlyn and Llandeilo, and is home to 37 vets, nine beaches and 76 pet supplies shops.

Completing the 10 best areas in Wales for dog owners is Denbighshire, with a score of 36 out of 100 and includes the towns of Llangollen, Denbigh, Mold, Ruthin, Prestatyn. The county is home to five dog parks, 36 pet supplies stores and 14 vets.

Tom Sadler, Founder of Fur King, said: “Through analysing these factors, current and future dog owners are provided with a unique insight into the best areas to explore or even consider moving, to give their pets the best possible life.

“It is fantastic to observe the high number of dog-friendly parks, beaches and even pet services in various areas in the UK to not only enhance the quality of life for dogs, but also to make the lives of owners easier.”

Source: Foursquare OS Places

Methodology:

1. Foursquare OS Places was used to analyse the number of the following eight factors for 355 local authorities in the UK.

2. Each factor was given a score out of 10 for every area based on this number and their population size to avoid bias.
3. An overall score out of 100 was calculated for each area based on these scores and the weighting of the factors.
4. The areas have been ranked based on this overall score.