Dog City USA
August 28th, 2006
Back in May, I commented on the dog-friendliness factor here in Portland. Well, I wasn’t just woofin’.
It’s now official.
Dog Fancy magazine’s October issue ranks Portland at No. 1 as the best all-around city for dogs in America.
In their second annual DogTown USA contest, Dog Fancy states they
“researched, ranked, and rated cities across the nation to discover the best of the best. During our evaluation, we considered access to top veterinary professionals, dog parks, and canine-friendly businesses, as well as shelter-euthanasia rates and owner responsibility. No bone was left unburied.”
Portland’s qualifications as top dog? A high pooch-to-human ratio (there are 136,332 dogs living in Portland, which has a human population of 554,130) and 33 city-maintained parks with off-leash areas, making the city “one giant dog paradise.”
Other factors included the dog-oriented events like the Doggie Dash and Pug Crawl, as well as the proliferation of doggy daycare and grooming businesses.
Portland beat out Sanford, Fla.; Albuquerque, N.M.; San Diego; Bellingham, Wash.; Palo Alto, Calif.; and New York City, which is home to 1.5 million dogs.
Sounds like pints (and water dishes) all ’round at the Lucky Lab.
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Entry Filed under: Lifestyle, Livability
4 Comments Add your own
1. Rottweiler owner | August 29th, 2006 at 12:48 am
From renter’s point of view Portland does not rank that high. If you have ever tried to rent an apartment/condo/townhome for less than 1000 bucks a month and you happen to have a large dog your options are very limited. Top it off with your dog being one of those “agressive dog breeds” and there are not many options left. I’d like to see poodles and other smaller biting dogs listed as “agressive” as well, but I don’t think that is going to happen any time soon.
2. American Staffordshire Terrier Owner | August 29th, 2006 at 7:49 pm
That is fantastic we are listed as #1.
To the best of my recollection, however, the Portland “off-leash” dog parks were created as a response to the “sausage poisioning incidents.” I could be mistaken but I seem to recall that they were only instituted after someone kept poisioning dogs around the city to “teach a lesson” to dog owners who did not keep their pooches on a leash. That is not too friendly, but hey, at least now we are friendly, poision free, and there are dog parks aplenty.
3. Ron | August 29th, 2006 at 10:42 pm
Wow, a Staffy? I’ve only met one and I really thought she was a cool dog. Athletic and with a real sweet disposition.
I don’t recall the order of poisoning incident and off-leash park development (I’m ‘almost’ certain that Portland had off-leash parks before those awful poisonings), but I replied to a commenter on my earlier post that the Laurelhurst Park episode was a bit of a black mark. And there have been more stories about maulings on the news than I’d like to admit.
I understand not everyone is a dog fan. I recently had a client on the ‘other’ end of the spectrum. A bad experience with someone else’s dog tips the balance the other way. However, conscientious dog owners (most of everyone I’ve run across) find a way to let their dogs experience some freedom and exploration without compromising their neighbors’ security or well-being.
4. Another Rottie Owner | July 9th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
I have 2 rotties and people treat me like I am going to destroy their home and kill their children if I rent from them. I’m tired of it. I have a good job and a blossoming career and yet can’t find a place to live. stupid.
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