Metro Atlanta is home to hundreds of pet-friendly eateries, hotels and dog parks galore. So it’s no surprise the city ranks among the top pet-friendly cities in the country.
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That's according to a new report from personal finance website WalletHub, for which analysts scoured data on pet budget, pet health/wellness and outdoor pet-friendliness in the 100 most populated cities in America.
Those three dimensions were evaluated using 24 relevant metrics, such as veterinary care costs, dog-friendly restaurants per capita, share of pet-friendly hotels, number of dog parks per capita and more.
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Of the 100 most populated cities in the United States, the ultimate pet-friendly metro is Scottsdale, Arizona, which also earned top honors in the pet health and wellness category, though the city has some of the highest dog insurance premiums overall.
Honolulu scored worst overall, and ranked dead last in the pet health and wellness dimension.
Atlanta ranked 12th on the list. Here’s more on how the city fared:
- Overall rank: 12
- Pet budget: 21
- Pet health/wellness: 10
- Outdoor pet-friendliness: 80
Atlanta also has the fifth lowest dog insurance premium in the country, according to WalletHub, and the city tied with five others at No. 1 for most dog-friendly restaurants per capita.
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Unfortunately, it placed among the bottom 20 in outdoor pet-friendliness, a category based on weather, dog parks per capita, parkland share, walk score, dog-friendly trails per capita and dog shows per capita.
But for dogs who love to swim or hike, Atlanta's dog beaches, elite swim club and numerous hiking trails offer quite the bargain.
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Fido-friendly companies are also becoming more popular around town.
And if you're the traveling type, there are plenty of dog-friendly getaways in Georgia.
Explore WalletHub's most pet-friendly cities in America ranking at wallethub.com.
