Around half of British households keep a pet, and the British relationship with animals is a reliable subject of national self-mockery — the standard joke being that the British are warmer to their dogs than to each other, which is not entirely a joke.
The RSPCA came first
The single most quoted fact on the subject. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in 1824 and was the first animal welfare charity in the world.
The NSPCC, doing the equivalent job for children, was not founded until 1884 — sixty years later. British people mention this about themselves regularly, usually while explaining that it is completely indefensible and entirely characteristic.
Animal charities remain extraordinarily well funded. The RSPCA, Dogs Trust, Battersea, Cats Protection and the PDSA between them receive an enormous share of British charitable giving, much of it in legacies.
Dogs in pubs
The detail visitors find most striking. A very large proportion of British pubs welcome dogs in the bar, and many keep a water bowl by the door and a jar of biscuits behind the counter.
This is normal, uncontroversial and entirely legal — food hygiene rules concern food preparation areas, not customer space. Country pubs in particular expect muddy dogs, and a pub that turns dogs away will be mentioned online in tones of genuine disappointment.
Dogs are also generally welcome in beer gardens, on public transport in most of the country, in a good many shops, and in an increasing number of cafés and offices.
The rules
- Microchipping is compulsory for dogs, and since 2024 for cats in England, with fines for non-compliance.
- Dogs must wear a collar and tag in a public place showing the owner’s name and address.
- Fouling — picking up after a dog is legally required, enforced by fixed penalty notices, and socially non-negotiable. Failing to do so in front of others will get you spoken to.
- Livestock — a farmer is legally entitled to shoot a dog worrying sheep, and every spring some do. Dogs go on leads near livestock without exception.
- Banned breeds — the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 prohibits four types, with XL Bullies added in 2023 after a series of fatal attacks. The legislation is contested and widely criticised as targeting appearance rather than behaviour.
What people keep
Dogs and cats are roughly equal in number, at around eleven million each. Beyond them: rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, fish, budgerigars, and — a genuinely British enthusiasm — garden birds, which perhaps half of households feed. The RSPB has over a million members, making it one of the largest membership organisations in the country.
The animals in public life
Britain gives official jobs to animals with a straight face. Larry has been Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office at Downing Street since 2011, outlasting six prime ministers. There are official cats at the Treasury and the Foreign Office, and ravens on the establishment at the Tower of London.
Elizabeth II’s corgis were, for seventy years, among the most photographed dogs in the world.