Redfin, the realtors, and Rover, the dog-walkers, got together to determine which U.S. cities are dog's best friends. The top 20 includes many large cities like Seattle, Chicago, and Los Angeles but some smaller as well, like San Diego and Washington, DC.
Data held by Redfin revealed how much area of 14,000 cities is appropriate for walking, particularly dog-walking. The streets, boardwalks, and parks must be places where dogs are not just able to walk, but welcome to walk... and that's what makes those cities special for dogs.
And to prove that those cities meet a dog's expectations, Rover ran the numbers to check the highest numbers of walks, dog walkers, and the total hours, minutes, and distance per walk by each dog walker or sitter on Rover.
Okay, the results are probably not perfect, but they give you a good idea. Here are the cities in order of their rankings by number of dogs walked, percent of home listings that mention dog (not so sure about the weight of that factor), and a rating of dog-friendliness (the walk score). In the right column are the dog breeds most walked by Rover walkers in that city.
|
City |
Rover Rank |
Share of For-Sale Home Listings that mention "Dog" |
Walk Score |
Top Dog |
|
Seattle, WA |
1 |
2% |
73 |
Labrador Retriever |
|
Chicago, IL |
2 |
4% |
78 |
Mixed Breed |
|
Denver, CO |
3 |
4% |
61 |
Labrador Retriever |
|
Manhattan, NY |
4 |
4% |
89 |
French Bulldog |
|
Washington, DC |
5 |
1% |
77 |
Mixed Breed |
|
Portland, OR |
6 |
2% |
65 |
Mixed Breed |
|
Los Angeles, CA |
7 |
2% |
67 |
Chihuahua |
|
Brooklyn, NY |
8 |
4% |
89 |
Pit Bull Mix |
|
San Francisco, CA |
9 |
4% |
86 |
Mixed Breed |
|
San Diego, CA |
10 |
2% |
51 |
Mixed Breed |
|
Philadelphia, PA |
11 |
2% |
79 |
Pit Bull Mix |
|
Houston, TX |
12 |
2% |
49 |
Mixed Breed |
|
Austin, TX |
13 |
3% |
40 |
Mixed Breed |
|
Arlington, VA |
14 |
3% |
37 |
Mixed Breed |
|
Minneapolis, MN |
15 |
1% |
69 |
Labrador Retriever |
|
Alexandria, VA |
16 |
3% |
60 |
Mixed Breed |
|
Dallas, TX |
17 |
2% |
46 |
Labrador Retriever |
|
Atlanta, GA |
18 |
5% |
49 |
Mixed Breed |
|
San Jose, CA |
19 |
2% |
51 |
Labrador Retriever |
|
Nashville, TN |
20 |
1% |
28 |
Mixed Breed |
What surprises you? I'm surprised and pleased by the majority numbers, particularly of mixed breeds. That tells me that many dog-lovers are adopting dogs and that they care enough about them to hire dog walkers for them.
Labradors are indeed America's favorite full-bred dog, and they have been for 27 years! After the lab, America’s nine most popular dogs in 2018 were the German shepherd, Golden retriever, French bulldog, standard bulldog, beagle, poodle, rottweiler, German short-haired pointer and Yorkshire terrier, according to the AKC.
If you live in any of the 20 "best cities for dogs," let us know below what you think of your city's accessibility and friendliness to dogs.
related reads:
Top 10 Pet-Friendly Cities In The U.S. Is Yours Among Them? (2017)
The Buzz! Best City For Pets, Dog Makeup, And More... (2015)
