The dog map of Britain

Counting canines

So I was sending out a press release about the new law clamping down on puppy smuggling - an issue on which I have received more correspondence from constituents than almost any other subject.

I suddenly wondered how many dogs there are in the constituency.

It turns out that the Animal and Plant Health Agency produce modelled estimates at the postcode level. And per household.

I have mapped that below. They are modelled estimates, so I wouldn’t get too hung up on exactly why the island of Barra has more dogs per head than the isle of Lewis.

But I’m still stunned that there are postcodes where there are more than two dogs for every household. Can this be right? Sounds idyllic.

Anyway, there are a heck of a lot of dogs out there. Both data and my mailbag reveal we really are a nation of animal lovers.