Labrador Retrievers are top dogs in Harrogate

Around 2,000 Labs were electronically tagged across the Harrogate postcodes in the past decade, BBC research shows.

Cocker Spaniels and Jack Russell Terriers were in second place with 900 registrations each, while Border Collies (700) and English Springer Spaniels (500) rounded off the top five, not giving other breeds so much as a sniff.

Harrogate was voted one of the top three most dog-friendly places in Britain in 2013.

Successful dog shows have taken place at Claro Road since then, in 2013 and 2014

Across the UK, Labrador Retrievers were named the most popular dog breed. The data was taken from Petlog and Animalcare, two of the UK’s three biggest microchipping firms, covering about 60 per cent of all dogs in the country.

Crossbreeds were excluded as these are the most popular dog in all postcodes, and have numerous permutations. According to the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association, which carries out an annual pet population survey, about 25 per cent of all UK households own a dog – rougly 8.5m.

From 2016, it becomes the legal responsibility of all owners in England to chip their pet. Microchips contain a unique code which, when scanned, brings up the owner’s contact details.

The government wants to bring this measure in because every very year more than 100,000 dogs are dumped at a cost of £57m to the taxpayer and animal welfare charities.

More to follow.

The Harrogate Advertiser Series searched for the district’s favourite festive pet before Christmas. Click here for a gallery of entries and the winner revealed here