Do you live in a dog friendly city?

Below is some interesting information from a recent Men’s Health article concerning dog friendly cities in the United States.

No one wants to hear that his city has gone to the dogs.  But in this case, it means canines are king, and Portland leads the pack.  Men’s Health crunched the per capita numbers of dog parks (Trust for Public Land), dog-friendly apartments (Apartments.com), vets (MyVeterinarian.com), animal shelters (Petfinder.com), and pet stores and services, along with the percentage of dog owners (both SimplyMap).  Finally, Men’s Health factored in state laws against animal cruelty, dog fighting, and puppy mills (Humane Society).  The results are outlined below to see where you city ranks in terms of dog friendliness.  Hopefully, you live in a dog friendly city!

MOST DOG FRIENDLY

1.    Portland, OR  A+
2.    Colorado Springs, CO  A+
3.    Wilmington, DE  A+
4.    Seattle, WA  A
5.    Denver, CO  A
6.    Tampa, FL  A
7.    Manchester, NH  A-
8.    St. Louis, MO  A-
9.    Pittsburgh, PA  A-
10.  Las Vegas, NV  A-

11.    Madison, WI  A-
12.    Tucson, AZ  B+
13.    Omaha, NE  B+
14.    Cincinnati, OH  B+
15.    Minneapolis, MN  B+
16.    Aurora, CO  B+
17.    Austin, TX  B
18.    Norfolk, VA  B
19.    Burlington, VT  B
20.   Lincoln, NE  B-

21.    Baton Rouge, LA  B-
22.    Des Moines, IA  B-
23.    St. Petersburg, FL  B-
24.    Reno, NV  B-
25.    Chesapeake, VA  B-
26.    Portland, ME  B-
27.    Atlanta, GA  B-
28.    Plano, TX  C+
29.    Tulsa, OK  C+
30.    Virginia Beach, VA  C+

31.    Little Rock, AR  C+
32.    Raleigh, NC  C+
33.    Orlando, FL  C+
34.    Sacramento, CA  C+
35.    Albuquerque, NM  C+
36.    Salt Lake City, UT  C+
37.    Greensboro, NC  C+
38.    St. Paul, MN  C+
39.    Miami, FL  C
40.    Winston-Salem, NC  C

41.    Charlotte, NC  C
42.    Bakersfield, CA  C
43.    Columbia, SC  C
44.    Jersey City, NJ  C
45.    Cheyenne, WY  C
46.    Rochester, NY  C
47.    Nashville, TN  C
48.    Kansas City, MO  C-
49.    Charleston, WV  C-
50.    San Francisco, CA  C-

51.    Anchorage, AK  C-
52.    Boise City, ID   C-
53.    Durham, NC  C-
54.    Chicago, IL  C-
55.    Fort Wayne, IN  C-
56.    Phoenix, AZ  C-
57.    Oklahoma City, OK  C-
58.    Houston, TX  C-
59.    New Orleans, LA  C-
60.    Birmingham, AL  D+

61.    Lexington, KY  D+
62.    San Diego, CA  D+
63.    Providence, RI  D+
64.    Washington, DC  D+
65.    Indianapolis, IN   D+
66.    Milwaukee, WI  D+
67.    Sioux Falls, SD  D+
68.    Wichita, KS  D+
69.    Lubbock, TX  D+
70.    Riverside, CA  D+

71.    New York, NY  D+
72.    Jacksonville, FL  D+
73.    Fargo, ND  D+
74.    Dallas, TX  D
75.    Billings, MT  D
76.    Cleveland, OH  D
77.    Philadelphia, PA  D
78.    Fresno, CA  D
79.    Toledo, OH  D
80.    Stockton, CA  D-

81.    Baltimore, MD  D-
82.    Honolulu, HI  D-
83.    San Jose, CA  D-
84.    Fort Worth, TX  D-
85.    Memphis, TN  D-
86.    Oakland, CA  D-
87.    San Antonio, TX  D-
88.    Columbus, OH  D-
89.    Boston, MA  D-
90.    Laredo, TX  D-

LEAST DOG FRIENDLY

91.    Buffalo, NY  D-
92.    Louisville, KY  F
93.    Jackson, MS   F
94.    Corpus Christi, TX  F
95.    El Paso, TX  F
96.    Detroit, MI  F
97.    Bridgeport, CT  F
98.    Anaheim, CA  F
99.    Newark, NJ  F
100.  Los Angeles, CA

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love.  For me they are the role model for being alive.”
– Gilda Radner