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Harrogate named among UK's top towns for active pups

Thursday, 1 May 2025 11:46

Harrogate dogs are among the most active in the UK, according to research.

Harrogate has been named among the best towns in the UK for maintaining the physical health of dogs.

Experts at Hills Pets Nutrition have compiled a list of the top 10 towns for active dogs and their owners, with Harrogate ranked at number 6.

The research analysed 119 locations throughout the UK, taking into account accessibility, fitness and 'outdoor experience.'

From this, the top 10 towns were named, as well as the top 10 cities and locations outside of England to live for keeping your dog fit.

The list of towns is as follows:

Bury
Guildford
Sutton Coldfield
Maidstone
Weston-Super-Mare
Harrogate
Warrington
Bolton
Bournemouth
Bracknell

The top locations outside of England are East Killbride, Cardiff, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Newport.

Dr Hillary Pearce, a veterinarian who partners with Hills Pets, said:

"From my perspective, a city is most “dog-friendly” if it has access to safe walking routes, green spaces, and accessible veterinary practices.

“Some cities go even farther by welcoming dog-walkers and dogs into businesses like pubs.

“Public water access points are also a fantastic thing to have to help keep dogs and owners active safely."

He added:

"I have found that people often do not realise that dogs need to be trained and conditioned up to higher levels of physical activity, just like people.

“Even an energetic dog can become overly fatigued and/or injured if being asked to do endurance or strenuous physical activity beyond what it is used to.”

Check out the full list of towns, cities and other locations and read the full study online here.

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