(KTLA) – It’s no secret that Americans love their pets. In some places, it’s not unusual to see dogs chasing each other at the beach, a dog in a shopping cart, or a couple enjoying a restaurant on an outdoor patio with their loyal pup by their side.
But frankly, it’s easier to enjoy time with your pet in more dog-friendly environments and with animal-focused amenities.
So if you’re a dog lover and you’re looking for the best city for you and your best friend, you might want to make sure you find a place that is considered to be “dog-friendly.”
But what exactly makes a city dog-friendly? There’s no perfect answer, but according to SmartAsset, an online hub for consumer finance information, there are a few ways to figure out which cities might be best (and worst) for you and your furry friend.
SmartAsset looked at dozens of cities and analyzed a few factors, including the total number of dog parks, dog-friendly restaurants, the concentration of pet stores and veterinarians, and walkability — because your pooch needs exercise. Population was also taken into consideration before cities were evaluated and ranked by their cumulative scores.
Here are the 10 most dog-friendly cities in America, according to SmartAsset:
| Rank | City | Dog Parks1 | Dog-Friendly Restaurants | Dog-Friendly Shopping Centers | Pet Stores and Vet Offices2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Petersburg, FL | 2.3 | 134 | 18 | 84.5 |
| 2 | Tucson, AZ | 1.8 | 253 | 4 | 89.2 |
| 3 | Tampa, FL | 4.9 | 242 | 4 | 62.5 |
| 4 | Portland, OR | 5.8 | 412 | 3 | 94.2 |
| 5 | Madison, WI | 4.1 | 76 | 15 | 104.6 |
| 6 | Las Vegas, NV | 3.8 | 223 | 3 | 57.4 |
| 7 | Arlington, VA | 3.9 | 122 | 14 | 51.5 |
| 8 | Minneapolis, MN | 1.6 | 196 | 5 | 55.5 |
| 9 | San Francisco, CA | 4.5 | 202 | 4 | 34.9 |
| 10 | St. Louis, MO | 2.3 | 157 | 6 | 38.2 |
St. Petersburg, Florida, took the top spot thanks to its large number of dog-friendly shopping centers, pet stores and veterinary offices. The city, which held the No. 7 spot last year, has two dog-friendly beaches and many more nearby, according to BringFido.com.
Tucson, Arizona, which held the top spot last year, took the No. 2 spot in 2022. With the 16th-lowest number of rainy days on average annually, it’s not hard to see why it remained in the top three. There are lots of opportunities for pet owners to get out and about with their furry companions.
Tampa, Florida, also dropped down a peg, from second place in 2021 to third in 2022. It has the fourth-highest number of dog parts per capita.
San Francisco was the highest-ranking California city, boosted by a healthy amount of dog parks per 100,000 residents and plenty of dog-friendly restaurants.
So if you’re looking for a place to live and the comfort of your dog is near the top of your list of considerations, you should beware of cities that just aren’t up to snuff — or, in this case, sniff.
More information from SmartAsset, including a complete list of dog-friendly cities and the methodology used in the ranking, is available at the company’s official site.
