Dogs are one of the most important part of our lives, and seeing foreign puppers enjoying their life tells you a lot about the place you’re visiting. So where in the world do dogs have the best life? A recent study looked at several different variables related to a dog’s life to determine which are the world’s best cities for dogs.
Dog-friendly variables studied
The study analyzed some key factors to determine where dogs live best. Some important factors include the number of dogs per capita, availability of dog parks and dog-friendly restaurants and hotels, and the ratio of vets to dogs. Other dog-ownership factors included a dog waste score and the lifetime cost of owning a pup in a particular place. These factors were calculated to provide a total score for 50 cities around the world.
The rankings
So where do dogs fare best? West coast cities San Francisco and Seattle in the US topped the list. San Francisco is apparently more tolerant of dogs than it is of homeless people, because it came first in the number of dog-friendly restaurants in the city. Seattle came #1 in cities with the highest number of dogs per capita, with 246 dogs per 1000 residents.
Tel Aviv, Prague, and Barcelona rounded off the top five. Bremen in Germany which came in at number 40 overall had the highest vet to dog score. Tel Aviv has the most number of pet stores compared to the other 49 cities. As far as the best place to travel with a dog, Helsinki outscored every other city on the list for number of hotels that accept pets. One of the survey’s surprising results is that dense concrete jungle New York ranked highest for availability of dog parks.
What are the cheapest and most expensive places to own a dog in the world? Warsaw, Prague, and Lisbon topped the list of cheapest cities, where the lifetime cost of owning a dog ranges from $10,400-12,400. Unsurprisingly, the most expensive places to own a dog are all in Switzerland. In Zurich, Basel, and Geneva, you can expect to pay between $32,000-34,000 over the lifetime of the dog. This is a place where a coffee is like $8, so that makes perfect sense.
The survey also looked at dog abandonment based on the number of shelter intakes. People in Basel emerged as the most loyal owners with New York coming in as the city with the highest score for abandonment. I guess when the cost of owning Fido is the cost of a down payment on a house, people are more committed to their furry babies.
Finally the survey assessed the impact of dog ownership on the community with respect to dog waste. Respondents from Miami reported their city has the most conscientious dog owners, with San Francisco and Seattle not far behind. Of the top 50 cities, pet parents in Auckland, Brussels, and Paris were least likely to pick up after their pets. People in certain cities might want to be extra careful about picking up their dogs’ waste. Madrid, Singapore, and Barcelona have the highest fines for not doing so.
The goodest boys deserve the goodest life, and now you know where they’ll get it.
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