Two Arizona cities listed in top five most pet-friendly in 2018

PHOENIX — The state of Arizona is the home of many pet lovers. Whether it be taking a pet out on a hike, or heading out to a local dog park to play with other pets, the Valley welcomes it all.

Scottsdale was listed as the most pet-friendly city of 2018, according to WalletHub. Phoenix was listed at No. 5.

The data set “ranges from minimum pet-care provider rate per visit to pet businesses per capita to walkability,” according to the website.

Overall rankings take the average score ranking of three categories: Pet budget, pet health and wellness and outdoor pet-friendliness.

Jill Gonzalez with WalletHub told KTAR News 92.3 FM that Scottsdale and Phoenix were excelling in the pet health and wellness category.

Gonzalez said both cities had a high percentage of veterinarians per capita, pet caretakers, animal trainers and dog-friendly businesses.

“Just in terms of having healthy pets, there’s a lot of access and clearly a lot of supply in the Phoenix area,” she said.

But Gonzalez said the cities could improve with pet budget. Veterinarian care costs were around $120 on average, a little higher than the national average.

Three additional cities in Arizona were listed in the top 100: Tucson at No. 23, Glendale at No. 39 and Mesa at No. 95.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jeremy Foster contributed to this report. 

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