Manchester has been named the most ‘pet-friendly’ city in the UK

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A new index has revealed the best cities for pet owners in the UK, and it’s great news for Manchester.

Millions of us share our home with a pet, and making sure we give them the best possible life is often at the forefront of our minds, right?

While there’s a lot people can control about their pet’s lifestyle, many of the factors that affect their happiness are determined by location, and sadly for the 83% of the UK population who live in more urban areas, the challenges to give a pet a good life can feel even greater – with less access to green space, and fewer social spaces to take dogs, for example.

But when it comes to cities, which are the best ones to own a pet in? Well, pet insurance firm Lassie has decided to get to the bottom of this and do some updated research.

Lassie analysed data across nine metrics that determine a pet’s wellbeing to create a ‘Pet-Friendliness Index’, and using this index, the UK’s five most populous cities were each assigned a score out of 100 and ranked to determine which is the most and least pet-friendly.

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Person walking dogs
/ Credit: Gustavo Fring (via Pexels) | Manchester City Council

The index looks at four main categories to gauge how suitable each city is for pets – green space, environment, health, and infrastructure.

Then, within these, experts compared a range of measures, including air quality, temperature, costs, access to vets, road safety, pet-friendly rental housing, social opportunities, and many others.

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And Manchester has taken the stop spot, with a score of 66.

The UK’s Most Pet-Friendly Cities

  1. Manchester
  2. Birmingham
  3. Liverpool
  4. Leeds
  5. London

In-keeping with its general growing popularity as a city, Manchester leads in the health category, with a high number of vets per head and the lowest rate of serious road collisions, while also ranking highest in terms of publicly listed dog friendly venues per resident.

“We tend to think that being a good pet owner comes down to what we do at home, but your postcode could be playing a much bigger role in your pet’s happiness and health than you realise,” commented Hedda Båverud Olsson, who is the CEO and co-founder of Lassie.

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“Our findings show that not all cities are created equal when it comes to pets. The difference between living in Manchester and London isn’t just about green space or somewhere to walk your dog, it can mean higher vet bills, poorer air quality and fewer veterinary practices nearby.”

Featured Image – Paul Harris / National Trust (Supplied)

‘We couldn’t see f**k all’ – Bizarre Altrincham FC FA Cup clash played in thick fog leaves fans baffled

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson 'We couldn't see f**k all' - Bizarre Altrincham FC FA Cup clash played in thick fog leaves fans baffled

Altrincham FC’s FA Cup clash with Notts County descended into extraordinary scenes on Saturday night as thick fog engulfed the stadium, leaving supporters struggling to see the players and even broadcasters questioning what was happening.

The bizarre first-round encounter at the J Davidson Stadium saw visibility deteriorate so badly that fans resorted to holding their mobile phone torches aloft in an attempt to follow the action.

What should have been a memorable FA Cup occasion turned into something resembling a scene from a horror film, with the players increasingly disappearing into the mist.

Altrincham Today captured the surreal atmosphere, posting: “Extraordinary scenes here at the J Davidson Stadium. Visibility down to a few yards. No-one has any idea what is going on. Supporters holding mobile torches aloft, like it’s an Elton John concert. It is still 2-2, we think.”

Even television coverage struggled to make sense of the conditions.

Broadcaster Jason Mohammad joked: “Bear with us at the end of the game. We’ve not seen much of extra time where we are. We don’t have the foggiest what’s going on down the away end. Fair play – cracking game and atmosphere!”

One social media user summed up the extraordinary conditions simply, writing: “Altrincham v Notts County is currently being played in a cloud.”

Others were equally bewildered, with one supporter asking: “Spot the ball anyone? #FACup @altrinchamfc on the verge of another league scalp – although who knows what’s going on?!”

Another fan was less than impressed, posting: “Shame we couldn’t see f**k all for most of it”.

Even the stadium’s advertising boards were struggling to make an impression. James Timpson joked: “It was hard to see the investment we have made in to our pitch side advertising boards last night at Altrincham V Notts County!”

The unusual conditions also prompted questions over whether the match should have continued.

One Notts County supporter reflected after the game: “Unlucky guys you gave us a great game and the conditions didn’t help still say it should have been abandoned even though we scraped through!!!! Good luck for the rest of the season lads”.

And it was certainly a dramatic contest before the fog took centre stage.

Notts County initially took the lead through Jacob Bedeau in the 28th minute, but Altrincham responded through Lucas Weaver just before half-time.

Lewis Banks then put the hosts ahead in the 59th minute, raising hopes of another famous FA Cup upset against higher-league opposition.

However, Callum Roberts equalised for County in the 84th minute, sending the tie into extra time.

With neither side able to find a winner, the match went to penalties, where Notts County eventually prevailed 3-2 to book their place in the second round.

While the result was heartbreaking for Altrincham, the extraordinary conditions ensured the match would be remembered for more than just the football.

For supporters at the J Davidson Stadium, it was certainly one FA Cup tie where seeing wasn’t necessarily believing.

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Featured image: BBC

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