Short answer: No. Paignton Zoo permits fully trained assistance dogs only, with documentation required before entry, and emotional support animals are not admitted. Their nature reserve, Primley Park, is a short distance away and welcomes all dogs free of charge.
Dogs and other pets are not permitted at Paignton Zoo. The only exception is a fully trained assistance dog, and even then there is process involved: you report to the information desk on arrival, sign a declaration form, and may be asked to provide documentation beforehand.
Emotional support animals are explicitly excluded. The zoo acknowledges the role such animals play but does not currently allow them on site, as they have no legal recognition in the UK in the way assistance dogs do.
This is the part most people miss. The zoo runs a nature reserve called Primley Park a short distance away, it is open to the public 24 hours a day, and all dogs are welcome. It costs nothing. If one of your party wants the zoo and another has the dog, this solves the afternoon.
The zoo asks this directly and it bears repeating. The car park holds over 1,100 vehicles and there is no shade to speak of. On a warm day it is genuinely dangerous.
Babbacombe Model Village at Torquay allows dogs across about ninety per cent of its site, though not the indoor sections. The Babbacombe Cliff Railway carries dogs year-round. Cockington Country Park is free and welcomes well-behaved dogs throughout. Berry Head at Brixham is a free nature reserve with a dog-friendly café.
Dog policies change, and the consequence of getting it wrong is being turned away at the gate. This was checked in September 2026 — ring ahead if you are driving any distance.
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