Dogs are family, but when you have one, moving can be, well, ruff. Not only do you need to find the perfect home, but you need to ensure there’s plenty of room and nearby green space for your furry family members. That’s why we partnered with Redfin, the popular real estate brokerage, to determine the top cities for dog lovers. We ran the numbers on over 14,000 cities across the country, compiling a list with the highest counts of walks, dog walkers and sitters, along with total hours, minutes and distance per walk by each dog walker or sitter on Rover.
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And because each top city needs a top dog, we also uncovered the most popular breed in each area. Why yes, we have noticed a lot of French Bulldogs in New York lately, now that you mention it.
We then coupled our insights with Redfin data to take a closer look at what life as a dog is like in each city. We recorded how often the keyword ‘dog’ appeared in the online listing descriptions of homes for sale, typically to note that a property was dog-friendly, close to dog parks, etc. We also included each dog-friendly city’s Walk Score®, to highlight how easy it is to treat your dog to his or her favorite activity.
So, which cities are the best for your best friend? Here’s Redfin and Rover’s definitive ranking for the most dog-friendly cities of 2019.
Top Dog-Friendly Cities of 2019
| City | Rover Rank | Share of Homes for Sale that mention “Dog” | Walk Score | Top Dog |
| Seattle, WA | 1 | 2% | 73 | Labrador Retriever |
| Chicago, IL | 2 | 4% | 78 | Mixed Breed |
| Denver, CO | 3 | 4% | 61 | Labrador Retriever |
| Manhattan, NY | 4 | 4% | 89 | French Bulldog |
| Washington, DC | 5 | 1% | 77 | Mixed Breed |
| Portland, OR | 6 | 2% | 65 | Mixed Breed |
| Los Angeles, CA | 7 | 2% | 67 | Chihuahua |
| Brooklyn, NY | 8 | 4% | 89 | Pit Bull Mix |
| San Francisco, CA | 9 | 4% | 86 | Mixed Breed |
| San Diego, CA | 10 | 2% | 51 | Mixed Breed |
| Philadelphia, PA | 11 | 2% | 79 | Pit Bull Mix |
| Houston, TX | 12 | 2% | 49 | Mixed Breed |
| Austin, TX | 13 | 3% | 40 | Mixed Breed |
| Arlington, VA | 14 | 3% | 37 | Mixed Breed |
| Minneapolis, MN | 15 | 1% | 69 | Labrador Retriever |
| Alexandria, VA | 16 | 3% | 60 | Mixed Breed |
| Dallas, TX | 17 | 2% | 46 | Labrador Retriever |
| Atlanta, GA | 18 | 5% | 49 | Mixed Breed |
| San Jose, CA | 19 | 2% | 51 | Labrador Retriever |
| Nashville, TN | 20 | 1% | 28 | Mixed Breed |
Despite the notion that some people may wait to move to the suburbs to adopt a dog, urban cores still rank highest in dog friendliness. Cities renowned for leafy parks and outdoor activities like Seattle, Chicago, and Denver claimed the top spots.
And while New York City, Brooklyn, and San Francisco rank highest for walkability, a seemingly significant factor when deciding to get a dog, they rank lower for overall dog friendliness, perhaps due to a higher cost of living, and housing inventory of typically smaller apartments–there’s no room for a large golden retriever in a fifth-floor walkup studio, sadly.
Other highlights include Washington, D.C., and its suburbs of Arlington, V.A. and Alexandria, V.A. all making the list, possibly aligned to an influx of interest in the area following Amazon’s arrival to town.
When it comes to breed, well, all dogs are adored equally, but we see the highest intake of Mixed and Labrador Retrievers nationwide. And ever the cosmopolitan hubs, New York City and Los Angeles stand out with Frenchies and Chihuahuas, respectively. Across the river from Manhattan, Brooklyn marches to its own beat and prefers Pit Bull mixes, as does Philly.
No matter where you live, if you’ve opened your home to love and care for a dog, we’re guessing it’s as dog-friendly as it gets.