THE MOST popular parts of the UK for dog adoption have been revealed.
According to research conducted by Benchmark Kennels, Brighton and Hove ranked in ninth spot, with an average site traffic volume of 4,283 visits per month.
The list was compiled by calculating the most reviewed and visited dog shelter websites in each town and city.
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Demand for dog adoption increased 14.7 per cent since lockdown, rising from 1,474 site visits per area during the first half of 2020 to 1,692 a year later.
Watford is first on the list with 12,799 average monthly site visits to dog shelter websites, followed by Bristol, Edinburgh and Cardiff.
These were followed by Newcastle, Birmingham, Exeter and Manchester.
While Belfast locals show the least interest out of the top 25 locations, with only 820 monthly site visits.
Benchmark Kennels marketing manager Cheryl Sampson said it’s “heartening” to see an increase in dog adoption after a rise in dog theft and abandonment in recent years.
“Adopting a dog is such a wonderful act of kindness, as it gives the pup another chance at a forever home while also bringing so much joy into the new owner’s life,” she said.
“As rewarding as it is, dog adoption is a huge responsibility that shouldn’t be taken lightly, as you don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the former owner and have to give up the pup later down the line.”
Cheryl said before committing to adoption, the public should consider whether you have the time to train, exercise and care for the pooch.
Full list of the top 20 most popular areas for dog adoption:
1) Watford - 12,799
2) Bristol - 11,916
3) Edinburgh - 11,696
4) Cardiff - 8,442
5) Newcastle upon Tyne - 6,994
6) Birmingham - 6,617
7) Exeter - 5,051
8) Manchester - 4,829
9) Brighton and Hove - 4,283
10) Kingston upon Hull - 3,890
11) Bath - 3,398
12) Liverpool - 2,562
13) Bournemouth - 1,787
14) Doncaster - 1,694
15) Gateshead - 1,624
16) Portsmouth - 1,337
17) Central London - 1,332
18) Leeds - 1,286
19) Swansea - 1,245
20) Gloucester - 1,211
There has also been a decrease in the number of people looking into surrendering their dogs.
From January to June last year, there was an average of 22 monthly visits to ‘giving up your dog’ pages on dog adoption, which lowered to 17 during the first six months of 2021.
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