Pittsburgh Ranks as One of the Most Dog-Friendly Cities

Pittsburgh is ranked the 15th most dog-friendly major city in the United States, a factor that many of the 65 million dog-owning Americans consider when relocating, according to a study by MarketWatch.

To find the most dog-friendly locations, MarketWatch compared metrics in three categories across 98 of the largest U.S. cities. The categories included:

• Dog Friendliness: number of pet activities, number of dog-friendly restaurants and number of dog-friendly apartments
• Dog Walkability: number of dog-friendly weather days and number of dog parks
• Pet Health: number of vet offices and average vet costs

Squeezing into the top 15, Pittsburgh had an overall score of 69.3 out of 100, with scores of 77.3 for dog friendliness, 88.1 for dog walkability and 51.9 for pet health.

Nationwide, the top five most dog-friendly cities were:

1. Raleigh, North Carolina
2. Nashville, Tennessee
3. Madison, Wisconsin
4. Lexington, Kentucky
5. Boise, Idaho

Conversely, the Golden State may be the least welcoming for furry friends. Four California locations ranked in the bottom five cities for dog-friendliness, though, notably, the study found San Francisco to be the best place for dog walkability based on year-round temperature and number of dog parks per capita.

For many people, dogs are more than just pets – they’re family, which means they’re taken into consideration when moving. According to 2020 NAR research, 43% of households were willing to move to better accommodate their pet(s), and 18% of then-recent homebuyers said it was very important that their new neighborhood was conveniently located to a vet and/or outdoor space. Additionally, 68% of Realtor® clients said that the animal policy influenced their decision to rent or buy in a particular community.