Bayou City has gone to the dogs… and we’re here for it. If you aren’t fortunate enough to have your own furry friend at home, the city is blessed high and low with loving pet owners and their dogs cruising about the city streets, parks, and patio bars. In a study conducted by Protect Our Paws, a company that compares pet insurance options, the company found Houston to be the dog capital of the world.
Say what you will about Houston – about our bad drivers, about us evidently being the worst major city for live music in the US, etc. – but there is any redeeming quality to be redeemed, it’s that we love our dogs. This undeniable fact was officially verified by the company, Protect Our Paws, in their study discerning the best cities for dogs.
Their study, analyzing 54 major cities across the world, identified those cities with the highest population of dogs – and consequently, opportunity to pet dogs – per km² per 100 people. Accounting for the number of registered dogs (excluding strays), major cities via academic reports, official government statistics, new stories, and respected sources, the study concluded with Houston having the highest dog-to-person ratio in the world, with 52.1 dogs per 100 humans.
“With 1.2 million dogs, meaning that there’s more than one dog for every two humans, there’s no doubt that Houston is a dog-friendly city,” the study reads.
“Whether they’re exercising at the Bay Area Dog Park or checking out the Astros action on Dog Day at Minute Maid Park, this is a city that loves its dogs.”
Paris, France, was also heralded in the article, earning the the title of the most dogs per km².