Are you living—or practicing—in one of the cities ranked as best for dogs' well-being? The results of a new study will help you find out. New research conducted by USA TODAY Blueprint, the finance section of USA Today, has revealed Seattle, WA as the best city for dogs’ well-being, with the availability of veterinary offices, parks, and high walkability score. Portland, OR, comes in second for its dog parks; and third is San Francisco, CA, where all residents have a park within a short 10-minute stroll. The top 10 cities for a happy and healthy dog are as followed: Rank City # of veterinary offices per 100,000 residents % within 10 minute walks to park Annual vet costs Walk score Dog parks per 100,000 Scaled score 1 Seattle, WA 59.12 99 $747.08 74 2 100.00 2 Portland, OR 46.91 90 $707.86 67 5.7 98.33 3 San Francisco, CA 46.51 100 $881.03 89 4.8 97.07 4 Boston, MA 58.64 100 $761.16 83 1.8 93.10 5 Minneapolis, MI 87.98 98 $720.93 71 1.6 91.63 6 Long Beach, CA 220.69 83 $775.32 73 2.4 90.79 7 Washington, D.C. 83.06 99 $747.08 98 2.7 89.12 8 Denver, CO 48.23 92 $670.93 61 1.9 88.70 9 Sacramento, CA 44.32 84 $761.16 49 4.3 74.06 10 Atlanta, GA 120.41 78 $683.86 48 1.9 71.76 The study scored 46 of the most populous cities in the U.S. for which there was data and was based on the following factors: Number of veterinary offices per 100,000 Residents (25 percent weighting) Percent of residents within a 10-minute walk to a park (10 percent weighting) Annual veterinary costs (15 percent weighting) Walkability (10 percent weighting) Number of dog parks per 100,000 residents (15 percent weighting) Heating degree days (25 percent weighting)
