As we approach National Dog Day, petting as many dogs as possible is at the top of our to-do list. Thankfully, we’re in luck. Pet insurance and pet health research site Protect My Paws conducted an in-depth analysis of cities around the world to determine which are the best for dog lovers and, more importantly, dog petters.
Did your city make the cut?
Top Cities for Dog Lovers
Protect My Paws calculated dog density using the number of dogs per square kilometer. You’re more likely to run into a dog in cities that ranked higher in this calculation. They also found the cities that are more likely to have dog parents by comparing the number of dogs per 100 humans.
Paris tops the list in dogs per square kilometer at 2,857 dogs/km2. Houston has the most dogs per person, with 52.1 dogs per 100 humans. Check out more of the data in the maps below.
Most Dogs Per Square Kilometer
Most Dogs Per 100 People
If you’d like to compare cities, Protect My Paws has a handy tool for that, as well.
Why Pet Dogs?
Put simply, petting a dog feels good. But why?
Research suggests that petting dogs releases endorphins, a hormone that decreases stress and pain. Moreover, looking into a dog’s eyes causes both the human and the dog to release oxytocin, a chemical that causes a feeling of joy. So, making a connection with a dog is good for both you and the pup!
To read more on Protect My Paws’ findings, click here.
