If your pets are your fur babies then naturally you want to live in the best city for them. These were named the best cities to have pets in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Let's be real, pets are family.  In fact, some would argue that they are the best family members because they don't argue with you, they don't gossip, they just look cute while they love you.

Over 90 million households have pets however, pets aren't cheap.  The pet industry grossed almost 124 million dollars last year alone. Studies show that the average owner spends about 3K dollars a year on their healthy dog!  That is a lot of milk bones.

We would do anything for our pets, but do we have to move?  Is New Jersey considered a pet-friendly state?  WalletHub compared the pet-friendliness of the 100 largest U.S. cities and this is where New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania landed in their research.

Source: WalletHub

Pittsburg, PA came in at #19

Philadelphia, PA got #54

Newark, NJ #64

Jersey City, NJ #73

Buffalo, New York #74

NYC #97

Are you surprised by these results?  WalletHub used 23 different categories that help support these picks.  This is what they used to make their selections:

Pet Budget – Total Points: 25

  • Veterinary Care Costs: Full Weight (10.00 Points)
  • Minimum Pet-Care Provider Rate per Visit: Half Weight (5.00 Points)
  • Dog Insurance Premium: Full Weight (10.00 Points)

Pet Health & Wellness – Total Points: 50

  • Veterinarians per Capita**: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
  • Pet Caretakers per Capita**: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
  • Animal Trainers per Capita**: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
  • Pet Businesses per Capita**: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
  • Dog-Friendly Restaurants per Capita**: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
  • Dog-Friendly Shops per Capita**: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
  • Pet Meetup Groups per Capita**: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
  • Doggie Daycare & Boarding Establishments per Capita**: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
  • Pet-Friendliness of Rental Market: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the share of pet-friendly rental units.
  • Average Home Square Footage: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
  • Share of Single-Family Detached Homes: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
  • Share of Homes with One or Fewer Occupants per Room: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
  • Animal Shelters per Capita**: Full Weight (3.57 Points)
  • Strength of Animal Protection Laws: Full* Weight (3.57 Points)
    Note: This metric is based on the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s “Best & Worst States for Animal Protection Laws” ranking.

Outdoor Pet-Friendliness – Total Points: 25

  • Weather: Full Weight (4.55 Points)
    Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Cities with the Best & Worst Weather” ranking.
  • Dog Parks per Capita**: Full Weight (4.55 Points)
  • Parkland as Share of City Area: Full Weight (4.55 Points)
  • Walk Score: Full Weight (4.55 Points)
  • Dog-Friendly Trails per Capita**: Full Weight (4.55 Points)
  • Dog Shows per Capita**: Half* Weight (2.27 Points)

So what do you think?  I know my fur baby is happy being a Jersey Boy!

Photo credit: Shannon Holly
Photo credit: Shannon Holly
loading...

Here is the list of the smartest dog breeds.

RANKED: Here Are the 63 Smartest Dog Breeds

Does your loyal pup's breed make the list? Read on to see if you'll be bragging to the neighbors about your dog's intellectual prowess the next time you take your fur baby out for a walk. Don't worry: Even if your dog's breed doesn't land on the list, that doesn't mean he's not a good boy--some traits simply can't be measured.

Is your fur baby a smart cookie?  Maybe that's why they have a mind of their own?

LOOK: The least obedient dog breeds

 

More From Lite 96.9 WFPG