Top 10 Most Dog-Friendly Cities in America

By Denisse Moreno, Epoch Times
April 6, 2016 Last Updated: April 12, 2016

Three California cities made it to the list of top 10 most dog-friendly places in America.

The data was collected from 100 major cities in the country and analyzed by SmartAsset. The number of dog parks, dog-friendly shopping areas and restaurants, dog walkability, weather, and housing costs were taken into consideration for the study.

The study found that the number one city for dogs is San Francisco. The city has 174 dog-friendly restaurants, and its high number of dog parks got it ranked second in walkability score.

The cities that followed after San Francisco in the top 10 are: Las Vegas, Denver, San Diego, Albuquerque, Sacramento, Chicago, Minneapolis, Tucson, and lastly, New York.

San Diego had the highest number of dog-friendly restaurants, with 187 locations, and also has the most canine-friendly shopping centers.

Las Vegas has the most dog parks, with 3.65 per 100,000 residents.

New York had the top score in walkability. The study says the city that never sleeps provides dogs and their owners a good chance to explore.

Chicago took the seventh spot. Although the city is famous for being windy, it was first place in best dog-friendly shopping places and restaurants, and had a good score in walkability for pets.

The study said the west coast is the best, with seven cities out of the top 10 located in that region.

The Golden State is the best state in America for dogs. Three out of the top 10 cities were located in California. The reasons were areas with dog accessibility and the sunny weather.

The study also found that cities in the south of the country were at the bottom of the list. Southern cities, except Tampa, had low scores in areas with dog accessibility.