These 15 American Cities Are Growing in Popularity with Dog Owners, According to New Study

The results also revealed that a majority of dog owners are looking to improve their pet's living conditions when they move

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Must love dogs!

Rover, a network of pet sitters and dog walkers, teamed up with Zillow to come up with a list of the top 15 emerging dog-friendly cities. Rover analyzed new accounts on their platforms to get their results, while Zillow looked into cities where dog-friendly rentals and listings are on the rise.

According to their ranking, the no. 1 city on the list is Denver, Colorado. "This city ranks high in part due to its plethora of parks, dog-friendly restaurants, and breweries," a press release states, noting that "there's even a specialty dog bakery!"

Coming in the second spot is Orlando, Florida — which is filled with "lots of sunny parks for dogs to stretch their legs."

Overall, over one-fourth of the top emerging dog-friendly cities are located in Florida — with Tampa (10), Miami (13), and Saint Petersburg (15 ) also filling out the list.

The rest of the cities were spread out across the country, with Anaheim, California ranking third overall, while the fourth and fifth spots went to Charlotte, North Carolina and Birmingham, Alabama, respectively.

Rounding out the list were Atlanta (6), Boston (7), Glendale, Arizona (8), New Orleans (9), Fayetteville, North Carolina (11), Fort Worth, Texas (12) and Nashville (14).

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According to a new survey of 1,000 dog owners from Rover and Zillow, one-fourth have moved since March 2020 — with over half of the respondents indicating that improving their dog's living conditions was something they would consider when making a move.

The survey also found that 86% of participants list pet-friendly features as a major part of moving decisions. In fact, 84% of dog owners said they would pay more to have those features.

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Zillow found that the most attractive feature for dog owners is a fenced-in outdoor space — and that listings mentioning this particular attribute grew more than any other dog-friendly feature they analyzed.

Additionally, homes that mentioned having a fenced-in yard sold 5 days faster than expected last year.

"This year, we spent an extraordinary amount of time with our pets, and many of us relied on their companionship more than ever. As a result, our emotional bonds with our pets also strengthened," Kate Jaffe, a trends expert at Rover, said in a press release. "Pets are taking on an even greater role in our families, so it follows that our dogs' needs are a top priority for pet parents considering a new home."

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