Seattle is the very best city for happy and healthy dogs in the entire United States, according to new analysis by USA Today. While you might sometimes have second thoughts about living in a place with such a lack of sunlight, you can breathe a sigh of relief that your four-legged friends are having the time of their lives in the best dog city in the country.
In order to determine the best dog cities around the country, the following categories were evaluated by USA Today:
- Number of veterinary offices
- Average annual veterinary costs in the city
- Number of dog parks
- Close vicinity to a park (within a 10-minute walk)
- How walkable a city is without a car
- Number of “cooling degree days”
There are so many reasons why Seattle is the best city for dogs. First of all, Seattle has an abundance of parks. So much so, that almost 100% of Seattle residents live within a short 10-minute walk to a park. Obviously, the Seattle dogs are in favor of this city infrastructure.
Additionally, Seattle has phenomenal weather (for dogs.) It ranks second for the number of “cooling degree days” with around 211 days per year. This means that the weather doesn’t usually get higher than 65 Fahrenheit. So there’s not a huge chance of overheating, especially for those gorgeous long-hair dog breeds.
Finally, Seattle also has a large number of veterinary offices which definitely contributes to a healthy dog community. There are around 59 veterinary offices per 100,000 residents. However, annual veterinary costs tend to be a bit pricey. The average Seattle resident pays about $747 per year in veterinary costs for their furry buddies.
Check out the entire list of the best cities in the United States for happy and healthy dogs:
- Seattle, Washington
- Portland, Oregon
- San Francisco, California
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Long Beach, California
- Washington, D.C.
- Denver, Colorado
- Sacramento, California
- Atlanta, Georgia
Spend a little extra quality time with your best furry friend and enjoy this beautiful spring weather together.