More than 90 million homes in America have a pet, but it turns out there are some cities that are MUCH more friendly to pet owners than others – including one right here in North Carolina.
Once again our good friends over at WalletHub have crunched the numbers to figure out where the most pet friendly cities in the the country are.
“To many of us, pets are family — even if they’re covered in fur, feathers or scales. Animal companionship is a great stress reliever, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” WalletHub said. “Naturally, the nearly 90.5 million households in the U.S. that own pets want to live places where their beloved companions can enjoy long, healthy lives without breaking the bank. In 2021, pet ownership cost Americans $123.6 billion, according to the American Pet Products Association.”
There’s lots of factors to consider when determining where the best place for your dogs, cats and fish are. WalletHub measured three key areas in the 100 largest cities in the country for that: Pet Budget, Pet Health and Wellness, and Outdoor Pet-Friendliness.
Lots of things go into each of those three areas, including vet costs, animal trainers, dog-friendly stores, animal shelters, weather, dog parks and more.
“With animal parents in mind, WalletHub compared the pet-friendliness of the 100 largest U.S. cities across 23 key metrics,” WalletHub said in its report. “Our data set ranges from minimum pet-care provider rate per visit to pet businesses per capita to walkability.”
As always, we encourage you to adopt, don’t shop when it comes to getting a new pet. And the ability to do that weighs heavily in these rankings.
“Go to the shelter or a rescue to adopt your pets! Most dogs and cats will have and exam, some vaccines, and deworming completed prior to their adoption,” Dawn Spangler, Director of Small Animal Clinical Skills & Associate Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University told WalletHub. “They will likely already be spayed or neutered at the shelter. The pet should see a veterinarian as soon as they are adopted, but you will likely save a bit in veterinary fees the first year since the animal will already have some of its necessary treatments done. Shelter adoption fees are very reasonable compared to buying a pet from a breeder or a pet store, as those adoption fees can be very expensive.”
So here’s a look at the most pet friendly cities in the country – including a North Carolina city in the Top 10 – and where the other major North Carolina cities ranked on the list.
