Pet Friendly Cities – And the Survey Says

We’ve all seen surveys listing the most pet friendly cities in the US – right?  Who performs these surveys?  What makes a city pet friendly – what criteria are judged? Which city is THE most pet friendly?

So far in 2010 six surveys ranking pet friendly cities have been published. And just for the record, although the surveys all say “pet” friendly, we’re talking “dog” friendly here. Below is a summary compiled by GoPetFriendly, but note these points:

• In all, 34 different cities were pawsitively mentioned.
• Benicia, CA? (It’s northeast of San Francisco.)
• And “N. Virgina” stands for Northern Virginia – it’s not a city, it’s an area.
• No city was named in all 6 surveys.
• New York City and San Diego were both mentioned in 4 out of 6 surveys.
• Portland, OR was named in 5 out of 6 surveys, including two #1 rankings and a #2 ranking. Does this make it the most pet friendly city in the US?

What do you think of these surveys? Are they helpful? Would you have different judging criteria if you lived in one of the cities or were just thinking of visiting? Leave us a comment!

Cities highlighted in red received a #1 ranking in a survey.

How are these listings and rankings compiled? Here is what each source has to say … and note that some imply you are LIVING IN the city, while others imagine you are TRAVELING TO the city.

BellaDOG Magazine – We collected statistics from the most populated cities in the United States that would make the city “dog-friendly.” We took into consideration a number of factors such as dog parks, outdoor dining areas, public parks, groomers, pet shops and much more.

Dog Fancy Magazine – The criteria used to select the winning city include plenty of dog-friendly open spaces and dog parks, events celebrating dogs and their owners, ample veterinary care, abundant pet supply and other services, and municipal laws that support and protect all pets.

DogFriendly.com – Want to find the best cities to visit with a dog for vacation? The rankings are based on the quality of dog-friendly accommodations, transportation, beaches, parks, attractions, stores, dining and other things to do with your dog.

TopTenz – Looking to travel and not sure where you and your family, including your four legged family member, should go? Picking places that will welcome your dog with arms as open as those that welcome you can be tricky, so here’s a list of the top 10 dog friendly cities in the United States.

How Stuff Works – What qualifies a town as being pet friendly? It not only needs to have many hotels and restaurants that welcome furry friends, but it also has to have a lot of open space for pets (and their owners) to r­oam, as well as an active Humane Society and high-quality veterinarians.

Sure Fit – Leading Slipcover and Home Solution company Sure Fit has released a list of the Top 10 Pet-Friendly Cities around the U.S. [Yes, that's it. In fact, this survey appeared on the cheapoair.com website; I couldn't find anything on the Sure Fit website.]