Land’s End Named UK’s Worst Spot for Dogs Going Missing

Picture the scene. You’re three miles into a coastal walk you’ve never done before, the sea air is glorious, and then you look down and realise your dog is no longer at your heel. For hundreds of owners every year, that exact moment plays out at one Cornish landmark more than anywhere else in the country.

New research has named Land’s End as the worst place in the UK for dogs going missing, with around 365 pets lost there every year. That puts our corner of Cornwall top of a list nobody wants to lead.

The numbers behind the headline

The figures come from Kippy, a GPS animal tracker company, which looked at reported missing dogs at popular walking spots across the country. Roughly 800 dogs go missing every year at these locations nationally, and more than 350 of those disappear at Land’s End alone.

Land’s End draws over 500,000 visitors a year, which goes some way to explaining why it tops the table. The full ranking puts Snowdonia in North Wales second with 156 dogs lost on average each year, followed by Hadrian’s Wall in the North East with 95. Ben Nevis recorded 67, the Lake District 37, Pen y Fan 29 and the Malvern Hills 24. At the other end of the scale, the Cotswolds recorded the fewest incidents with just 9, despite welcoming millions of visitors.

Why staycations are part of the story

The research lands as more people choose to holiday at home rather than head abroad. Interest in staycations has risen 15% year on year in 2026, whether that’s a city break, a seaside escape or a hiking holiday, and searches for hiking holidays in particular have continued to climb as travellers lean towards active trips over relaxing ones.

That shift means more dogs are being taken to places they’ve never been before, and unfamiliar ground is exactly where the trouble starts.

Iacopo Buccarelli, Brand Reputation Manager at Kippy, said: “as staycations only grow in popularity in the UK, we’re encouraging dog owners to remain vigilant and protect their pets as they embark on new adventures this summer.”

Iacopo explained why new surroundings raise the risk. “When exploring places that they’ve never been before, a dog’s sense of smell can be overwhelmed with new scents and if they lose their owners, it can be harder for them to find their way back.”

He added: “We know the idea of losing your pet can be incredibly anxiety inducing for pet owners and is something they’d rather not think about when preparing for a holiday. But in light of these statistics, we recommend taking precautions to keep them safe. Equipping your furry friend with a GPS tracker means even if they lose you, you won’t lose them for very long.”

What to do if your dog goes missing

If the worst does happen, Kippy has shared a few steps to follow. Stay calm, and if your dog doesn’t have a reliable recall, don’t chase them out of panic as this may cause them to run further away. Drop a GPS pin in the last place they were seen so you have a point of reference during your search.

If there is more than one person with you, re-trace your steps calmly, as your dog may have gone back to a place that feels most familiar, though ideally one person will stay in the spot where the dog went missing. Leave an item of your clothing or something belonging to your dog in that spot so they can track you. If you’re somewhere public such as a hiking trail, enlist the help of local authorities such as council dog wardens and park rangers. And for peace of mind, fitting a GPS pet tracker to your dog’s collar means you can find them quickly should they ever lose you.

The simplest precaution of all is an obvious one. Keep your dog on a lead in places it doesn’t know, especially open coastal ground where there’s nothing to stop a dog that’s caught a scent. On the cliffs around Land’s End and along much of the Cornish coast, the danger isn’t only that a dog wanders off and gets lost. A dog chasing a rabbit or a seabird can go straight over an edge before it realises the ground has run out, and clifftop paths can drop away with no warning. Plenty of dogs have been hurt or worse this way, and a lead is the one thing that takes that risk off the table.

Keeping your dog safe this summer

With thousands of families heading off over half term and into the summer, Kippy has urged owners to take precautions before exploring somewhere new. The company makes a dog GPS tracker it says is lightweight and durable, with a battery life of up to 15 days, live GPS tracking in real time and coverage across Europe, alongside activity monitors, escape warnings and a community of users.

The advice is simple enough. Before you set off somewhere your dog has never been, think about how you’d find them if the worst happened.