We all know how important socializing our dog is – and one of the best places to have them meet friends is the dog park. But not all dog parks are created equally. (We have all experienced those that are like doggy heaven and ones we will never step foot in again.).
Related: When You Know It’s Time to Leave the Dog Park
When it comes to finding the best cities for dog parks, the folks behind LawnStarter gave us a helping hand (er paw). They ranked the top dog park cities based on number of dog parks in each city, visitor ratings, and climate considerations (rainy days don’t make for good visits to the park).
Based on this methodology, California is the top state with the city of San Francisco ranking first (with Oakland and Portland rounding out the top three). The Golden City is loaded with tons of beautiful dog parks, including Golden Gate Park, which has acres upon acres for dogs to romp around in. It also scored high marks for its weather and visitor ratings.
“California is the biggest U.S. state, and even after adjusting for population size in each city, many Golden State cities still offered more dog parks than other cities in our ranking,” says Patricia Davis, the digital marketing analyst at LawnStarter. “Clearly, Californians love their pups and therefore dedicate so much green space to these furry family members.”
Related: 7 National Parks You Can Actually Bring Your Dog
Surprisingly, Laredo, Texas, a city that is warm yea-round ranked last. And Texas, in terms of states, also came in dead last. LawnStarter chalks it up to poor access and low quality parks.
“We were really surprised by many Texas cities’ collectively poor performance in our ranking, especially considering the dog ownership statistics in the state. By the American Veterinary Medical Association’s estimate, Texas has about 7.2 million dogs, more than any other state,” says Davis. “So, the burning question is: With such a high dog population in the state, why aren’t high-quality dog parks a bigger priority in Texas?”
Check out the full rankings below:
1 San Francisco, CA
2 Oakland, CA
3 Portland, OR
4 Boise City, ID
5 Fremont, CA
6 Henderson, NV
7 Norfolk, VA
8 Long Beach, CA
9 Chula Vista, CA
10 Tampa, FL
11 San Diego, CA
12 Las Vegas, NV
13 Arlington, VA
14 Anaheim, CA
15 Sacramento, CA
16 San Jose, CA
17 Riverside, CA
18 Irvine, CA
19 Los Angeles, CA
20 Seattle, WA
21 Santa Ana, CA
22 Bakersfield, CA
23 Albuquerque, NM
24 Madison, WI
25 St. Petersburg, FL
26 Chesapeake, VA
27 Stockton, CA
28 Jersey City, NJ
29 Washington, DC
30 Lexington, KY
31 Boston, MA
32 New York, NY
33 Pittsburgh, PA
34 Colorado Springs, CO
35 Chandler, AZ
36 Fresno, CA
37 Denver, CO
38 Tucson, AZ
39 Durham, NC
40 Scottsdale, AZ
41 El Paso, TX
42 Glendale, AZ
43 Corpus Christi, TX
44 North Las Vegas, NV
45 Virginia Beach, VA
46 Minneapolis, MN
47 Miami, FL
48 Anchorage, AK
49 Nashville, TN
50 Greensboro, NC
51 Atlanta, GA
52 Winston-Salem, NC
53 St. Paul, MN
54 Des Moines, IA
55 Buffalo, NY
56 Austin, TX
57 Raleigh, NC
58 Lubbock, TX
58 Aurora, CO
60 Orlando, FL
60 Irving, TX
62 Gilbert, AZ
63 Phoenix, AZ
64 Charlotte, NC
65 Reno, NV
66 Lincoln, NE
67 Baton Rouge, LA
68 Chicago, IL
69 Mesa, AZ
70 Jacksonville, FL
71 St. Louis, MO
72 New Orleans, LA
73 Kansas City, MO
74 Columbus, OH
75 Toledo, OH
76 San Antonio, TX
77 Baltimore, MD
78 Philadelphia, PA
79 Milwaukee, WI
80 Detroit, MI
81 Oklahoma City, OK
82 Louisville, KY
83 Houston, TX
84 Hialeah, FL
85 Tulsa, OK
86 Dallas, TX
87 Memphis, TN
88 Fort Worth, TX
89 Arlington, TX
90 Plano, TX
91 Cincinnati, OH
92 Wichita, KS
93 Newark, NJ
94 Cleveland, OH
95 Garland, TX
96 Omaha, NE
97 Laredo, TX