slides: Best Cities in New England for Dogs

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Tracey Minkin, GoLocalProv Features Editor

Everyone knows it's a dog's life, but where is it really a dog's life? The editors at Men's Health Magazine assessed the 100 largest American cities from a dog's point of view, and have emerged with a ranking of the best places for pooches.

With an eye to dog-friendly parks, pooch-appropriate rental properties, vets, shelters, and lots of great places to shop for Fido, Men's Health crunched the data to both rank and grade each city (did anyone think to count fire hydrants?). See how New England's major metropolitan areas fared, and see which spots nationwide were the best--and worst--for canines. And while you're there, check out the most popular breeds in each state, thanks to the folks at Vetstreet.com. Has your city gone to the dogs?

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#1 in NE: Manchester, NH

National ranking: 7
Grade: A-

Most popular breeds in NH
1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd Dog
3. Boxer
4. Golden Retriever
5. American Pit Bull Terrier

Photo: rollanb/flickr

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#2 in NE: Burlington, VT

National ranking: 19
Grade: B

Most popular breeds in VT
1. Labrador Retriever
2. American Pit Bull Terrier
3. German Shepherd Dog
4. Beagle
5. Dachsund - Miniature

Photo: Jeff_ro/flickr

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#3 in NE: Portland, ME

National ranking: 26
Grade: B-

Most popular breeds in ME
1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd Dog
3. Golden Retriever
4. Chihuahua
5. Yorkshire Terrier

Photo: Johnny Jet/flickr

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#4 in NE: Providence, RI

National ranking: 63
Grade: D+

Most popular breeds in RI
1. American Pit Bull Terrier
2. Labrador Retriever
3. Shih Tzu
4. Yorkshire Terrier
5. Chihuahua

Photo: Soggydan/flickr

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#5 in NE: Boston, MA

National ranking: 89
Grade: D-

Most popular breeds in MA
1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd Dog
3. Golden Retriever
4. Chihuahua
5. Yorkshire Terrier

Photo: One From RM/flickr

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#6 in NE: Bridgeport, CT

National ranking: 97
Grade: F

Most popular breeds in CT
1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd Dog
3. Golden Retriever
4. Yorkshire Terrier
5. American Pit Bull Terrier

Photo: Stovak/flickr

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The Methodology

To come up with its ranking, Men's Health crunched the per capita numbers of dog parks (Trust for Public Land), dog-friendly apartments (Apartments.com), vets (MyVeterinarian.com), animal shelters (Petfinder.com), and pet stores and services, along with the percentage of dog owners (both SimplyMap). Finally, they factored in state laws against animal cruelty, dog fighting, and puppy mills (Humane Society).

To read more about the rankings at Men's Health, go here. Photo: State Farm

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Best Dog Cities in the US

Where are dogs happiest, according to Men's Health? Here are the Top 10 for 2012.

1.    Portland, OR A+
2.    Colorado Springs, CO A+
3.    Wilmington, DE A+
4.    Seattle, WA A
5.    Denver, CO A
6.    Tampa, FL A
7.    Manchester, NH A-
8.    St. Louis, MO A-
9.    Pittsburgh, PA A-
10.  Las Vegas, NV A-

Photo: David W. Dunlap

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Worst Dog Cities in US

Where does Rover not want you to move? Check out the worst cities for dogs in Men's Health's Top 100 ranking.

91.    Buffalo, NY D-
92.    Louisville, KY F
93.    Jackson, MS   F
94.    Corpus Christi, TX F
95.    El Paso, TX F
96.    Detroit, MI F
97.    Bridgeport, CT F
98.    Anaheim, CA F
99.    Newark, NJ F
100. Los Angeles, CA F