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Asheville was named one of the top 10 cities in the United States for dog lovers.
Lawn care company LawnStarter publishes several studies that rank cities on factors like best remote work opportunities, sustainability, most playgrounds, and many, many more. Some of their rankings are unconventional: The list of best cities for nude gardening springs to mind (a list that included Asheville at number 5).
A recent study published on the company’s blog used sources such as AAHA, American Veterinary Medical Association, Animal Legal & Historical Center and others to rate 500 cities on their dog friendliness.
Find out where Asheville ranks and why.
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Are dogs allowed in Asheville?
LawnStarter’s study examined a wide range of factors, each falling into one of five categories: housing, community, care, business and affordability of pet care.
Asheville ranked second among the 500 cities evaluated and featured several statistics collected by LawnStarter that marked the area as particularly dog-friendly:
- Average yard size: 1,708 square meters | Rank: 29
- Animal shelters per 100,000 inhabitants: 7.5 | Rank: 11
- Veterinarians per 100,000 inhabitants: 53 | Rank: 10
- Animal trainers per 100,000 inhabitants: 31 | Rank: 1
- Number of dog-friendly shopping centers: 28 | Rank: 6
Regarding the five factors, Asheville performed as follows:
- Community Rank: 9
- Nursing rank: 10
- Business Rank: 14
- Affordability rank: 437
- Housing rank: 88
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Most dog-friendly cities in the USA
Here is LawnStarter’s list of top 10 choices, including a second city in North Carolina:
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Tucson, Arizona
- Santa Monica, California
- Orlando, Florida
- Bend, Oregon
- Wilmington, North Carolina
- Fort Myers, Florida
- Austin, Texas
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What makes a city dog-friendly?
In addition to the website’s rating system, LawnStarter also solicited comments from dog experts. Michael Khan, an assistant professor at NC State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, offered his opinion on how local authorities can make their cities more attractive to dog owners – beyond dog parks and veterinarians.
“Dog-friendly cities should prioritize making their cities safe and clean for dogs, dog owners and non-dog owners alike,” Khan said. “That means having plenty of sidewalks and pathways with trash cans or pet waste containers that are easy to use. If restaurants and stores want to make their premises more pet-friendly, water bowls and treat stations are a great way to make sure dogs are comfortable.”
Khan also spoke about the importance of vaccination laws and condemned the practice of banning certain dog breeds.
“Breed bans are neither effective, scientifically based nor welcoming to dog owners and should not be considered when planning a city for dogs,” Khan said. “Vaccination laws are an important law that supports a healthy pet population.”
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Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].