New List of Top Dog-Friendly States Comes with a Few Surprises

When planning where to settle down, there are many factors to consider, such as the cost of living, availability of housing, the job market, and the climate of your new state. If you’re a dog parent, an important factor to take into account is how dog-friendly your state is.

A new survey took into account factors like the availability of dog-friendly rental properties, veterinary services, pet care costs, animal protection laws, and pet stores. Each category was scored on a scale of 0-100, with 100 representing the best performance. Here's what the survey discovered.

Oregon Tops The List

Dogs are officially the most popular pets in the USA, with 65.1 million US households owning one as of 2024. The amazing affection Americans have for their canine friends is why Angelo Sorbello, the CEO of Pet Sprint, a company specializing in health and wellness solutions for dogs, and his team decided to find out which US state is the most dog-friendly.

Using data from the US Census Bureau and Zillow, the study used five categories—the number of dog-friendly rental properties, veterinary services, animal protection laws, and pet stores, plus the state’s average pet care costs—to give each state a ranking on its pet-friendly index.

Oregon came out with a pup friendly index score of 76.3.

Other states that topped the list? Colorado, Kansas, Washington, Florida, Ohio, Texas, Michigan, New Hampshire and Tennessee.

Related: Most Popular Dog Names in the U.S. 2024

• Oregon tops the table with an index score of 76.3. Oregon scores highly in most categories, especially animal protection laws and pet stores, though it scored surprisingly low in the number of veterinary services. “This could be due to the rural-ness of much of the state,” Angelo Sorbello speculates.

Colorado is just behind Oregon, scoring 74.4 overall. Colorado and Oregon are the only states to score in the seventies overall. Colorado scores an impressive 100 in dog-friendly rental properties but lags behind with only 38.7 in pet care costs.

The four states from 6th to 9th place - Ohio, Texas, Michigan, and New Hampshire - are very close in terms of points, all scoring a 63 overall and separated by decimal places. “What’s interesting about these states is that they score highly in very different areas,” Angelo Sorbello says. “For example, New Hampshire is the highest on the table when it comes to the number of pet stores, while Michigan tops the table for pet care costs. Texas’ great strength, meanwhile, comes from the number of dog-friendly rental properties in the state. These differences show how important it is to look deeper into what parts of pet care a state values to ensure those priorities align with your needs.”

The states where the dog-friendliness could use some work are Alaska, New York, Hawaii, Utah, New Jersey, North Dakota, Mississippi, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Idaho.

• Alaska comes in lowest overall, with weak scores in all categories, especially in the number of veterinary services and pet stores. “Alaska is very rural with miles and miles of wilderness, which is probably why specialty stores are so rare,” Angelo Sorbello says.

• A state with a surprisingly low score in the number of veterinary services is New York, which is second lowest overall on the table with a score of 28.5. “New York City may be having an undue influence on this number, as it is harder to keep a dog in the big city, which might explain the lower number of vet clinics,” says Angelo Sorbello.

Hawaii comes in third last with an overall score of 29.9. This reflects its low score in the number of dog-friendly rental properties, where the state came lowest of all with a 0, and its 3.3 score in the number of veterinary practices. “Hawaii is heavily geared toward tourists, who aren’t likely to bring their dogs overseas, reducing the demand for dog-friendly rentals and vets,” says Angelo Sorbello.

Sorbello also commented, "Dog-friendly states are a real game-changer for pet owners. They make life so much easier, allowing you to bring your furry friend along for more adventures and taking the headache out of finding a place to live. Plus, you end up surrounded by other dog lovers, which is fantastic for swapping tips, finding pet sitters, or just making new friends.

“These top-ranking states have really nailed it when it comes to understanding the bond between humans and their furry friends. They're not just focused on making life better for dogs - they're creating whole communities where pet owners and their pups can live their best lives together. It's a win-win situation when a state fully embraces the idea that dogs are part of the family.”

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