Thursday, September 21

FYI: San Francisco Is Still the Most Dog-Friendly City in America

Our dogs are extensions of our families — and it makes us smile ear-to-ear to learn that SF is still the best place for them in 2022.

San Francisco is synonymous with urban greenspaces, walkability, and cafes — many of which now have glorious parklets — that welcome leashed canines with affection. During the height of the pandemic, adoption rates for dogs and cats skyrocketed; there was an interesting phenomenon that happened when both kill and non-kill shelters across the country emptied of adoptable animals. And the same trend was observed here in the Bay Area, with the SFSPCA and other animal rescues reporting record levels of adoptions.

Those Good Boys and Good Girls and Good Non-Gender-Conforming dogs that found themselves being taken by humans with San Francisco area codes were incredibly lucky — and still are. Why? A report from Forbes Advisor that was just refreshed this November shows SF is the most dog-friendly large metropolis in America.

The study, which was updated from an earlier iteration posted in the year, highlights that SF is also among the best cities in America for dog owners. SF indexed very high among the scored 93 large cities — metros that included popular Bay Area exodus cities like Miami, Austin, and Houston — in the percentage of apartments that permit pets; this is also relevant for leased homes that waive pet rental fees.

The report from Forbes found roughly 40% of all SF units allow pets — and only 22% of those units charge monthly pet rent.

That said: It’s still illegal to own an unaltered pit bull or pit bull mix in San Francisco. This basically means that it is OK to own these absolutely lovable animals, but members of the breed must be either spayed or neutered.

Given the fact that San Francisco has well over 170 public parks for humans, it’s little wonder why it ranked number one in the number of dog parks per 100,000 residents.

San Francisco has 31 designated City dog park areas throughout the city where our lil’ fur children can run in circles, get some exercise, and meet new four-legged pals they can befriend. And with every San Franciscan not more than a seven-minute walk from a local green space, there’s no excuse to not get out and commune with Mother Nature in the city — dog in tow

So yes, reader: If you’re ready to welcome a dog into your life in SF,  understand that it’s going to be *a lot of work* — but you’ll be taking care of your pooch in the best place in the nation for dogs. There’s even a little dog library for them to check out these days, too.

Feature Image: Courtesy of daveynin

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