Redfin and Rover Name the 20 Most Dog-Friendly Cities of 2019

If you’re planning a move and own a dog, you might be interested in a report released today by real-estate brokerage Redfin and Rover, a pet-sitting and dog- walking matching service.

The two firms ran numbers on more than 14,000 cities nationwide and compiled a list with the highest counts of walks, dog walkers and pet sitters, along with total hours, minutes and distance per walk by each dog walker or sitter on Rover. Redfin then took that data and combined it with home-sale and Walk Score data to come up with what the two firms consider the top cities for dog lovers.

This year’s top three: Seattle, Chicago and Denver.

"Dogs are part of the family, so it's important to factor in our furry friends when choosing a place to live," said Daryl Fairweather, Redfin's chief economist. “Highlighting dog-friendly amenities, like a spacious yard or a mudroom for dirty paws, in your listing can make it easier for buyers to find the home of their dog's dreams."

Other dog-friendly cities in the top 10 include Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Portland, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, San Francisco and San Diego, which indicate that urban core areas rank high in dog friendliness.

According to the American Pet Products Association, a trade association serving the interests of the pet products industry, Americans are spending more on their pets than ever before. Pet care spending in 2018 reached a record-breaking high of $72.56 billion, an increase of over 4% over the $69.51 billion spent in 2017.

To see the full Redfin/Rover report, visit https://www.redfin.com/blog/most-dog-friendly-cities.