Despite having many dog-friendly restaurants, a recent study has once again ranked Houston poorly for pet-friendliness, citing dog insurance premiums, veterinary costs and walkability.
WalletHub, a personal finance platform, recently ranked Houston 51st in terms of pet-friendliness among 100 major U.S. cities. Three categories founded the platform's rankings: pet budget, pet health and wellness and outdoor pet-friendliness, according to the study's methodology.
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There were 23 metrics, graded on a 100-point scale, that were considered among the three main categories. Veterinary costs, which fell under "pet budget," was the heaviest weighted metric at 10 points.
The pet health and wellness category, though, contributed the most to a city's pet-friendliness score, with the metrics under that category adding up to a weight of 50 points. Some of those metrics included dog-friendly restaurants per capita, share of single-family detached homes and pet friendliness of the rental market.
WalletHub, a personal finance platform, ranked Houston 51st among 100 major U.S. cities based on 23 measures of pet affordability, health and wellness, and outdoor access. The ranking considers more than dog-friendly restaurants and parks, factoring in veterinary costs, insurance premiums, rental housing and walkability - expenses and conditions that shape how easy it is to own a pet in the city.
The highest-ranked Texas city was Austin, which placed 12th. Fort Worth ranked slightly above Houston at 49th, and Dallas fell near the bottom of the list at 79th.
Despite ranking 86th for pet budget, Scottsdale, Arizona, ranked as the overall most pet-friendly city. Tampa, Las Vegas, Orlando and Cincinnati rounded out the top five.
Houston ranked 42nd for pet budget, 54th for pet health and wellness and 61st for outdoor pet-friendliness.
Here are Houston's rankings in selected metrics:
29th: Veterinarians per capita
93rd: Pet businesses per capita
19th: Dog-friendly restaurants per capita
13th: Animal shelters per capita
33rd: Pet caretakers per capita
While more sidewalks and affordable doggie day cares aren't going to appear overnight in Houston, the city still offers plenty of good places to take your dog. Some even offer menus for dogs.
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This article originally published at Houston has plenty of dog-friendly spots. Why did it rank 51st for pet-friendliness?.