Hawaii ranks dead last among the country’s 100 largest cities ranked according to how pet friendly they are, according to a study by the online finance site, WalletHub.
Although Honolulu ranked #12 for outdoor pet friendliness, it was dragged down to the bottom of the list on other factors.
The top-ranked pet-friendly cities, with their overall scores, were spread across the country.
1 Scottsdale, AZ 66.19
2 Tampa, FL 61.04
3 Cincinnati, OH 59.97
4 Las Vegas, NV 59.16
5 Portland, OR 58.98
And at the bottom of the list, by overall rank:
96 Fresno, CA 43.36
97 Milwaukee, WI 42.69
98 Stockton, CA 39.24
99 Boston, MA 39.17
100 Honolulu, HI 37.33
The ranking was based on more than 20 metrics which are skewed towards dogs, according to a description of the study’s methodology.
That limitation aside, the study made imaginative use of existing data.
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)
Hey, pet lovers….Reactions?
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My biggest pet peeve (pun intended) is pets in housing. When we know so much about how pets improve mental health and quality of life, the fact that it is so hard to find rental housing with pets is a huge shame. It is true property owners need to be protected, but there needs to be better and stronger pathways to support tenants in housing that have animals.
I think we end up with abandoned pets because there are so few rentals that allow them. I know people who had no choice because they had to move from one of the few pet-friendly places and can’t find another one.
We had a landlord years ago who cited noise issues, but everyone else in the neighborhood had dogs and we were the only ones not making noise. I don’t see why there should be an issue when you pay a pet deposit, and repair any damage as you go.
To many animals on a small Island, plus all the chickens, pigeons pooping too.
Fido and Garfield are in the same category as chickens and pigeons?
Yes, you are right. Especially about the bird poop. I don’t know if folks know how unsanitary it is. Salmonella is a big chicken poop problem precisely because chicken poop is so big!.
Having visited only Oregon with a small, well-behaved dog, I can say they are much more friendly in the areas of parks, restaurants, shops, hotels, than Hawai’i. It is esp hard to find a pet friendly hotel on some of the neighbor islands. I feel we have good coverage (in Honolulu) for vets, daycare.
Thanks Ian- very useful info
The property manager that manages my rental convinced me that renting to dog owners isn’t an issue.
With proper vetting (pun intended) I’ve had 3 different dog owning renters who were all ideal renters.
They would have been ideal with or without dogs.
The issue is about poor property management, not about pets.
This ranking seems invalid to me because two of these cities, Las Vegas and Scottsdale/Phoenix are totally physically inhospitable to a dog’s (or other animal) paws. It is simply too hot for about 6 months of the year in both of these areas for a dog to walk at all. Even given the “shoes” that can be put on the dog’s feet, the heat of the day (even in the early morning Phoenix is over 90 during the summer) so that is simply not sustainable physically!
In this way of course the islands excel because the highest temps are about 95 degrees for a few days in the summer (except for areas of Maui that are 100).
I say this survey is bogus.