Two Arizona cities listed in top five most pet-friendly in 2018
Aug 8, 2018, 4:15 AM
New Mexico State's "Striking the Wonder Dog" in the second half during the Arizona Bowl NCAA college football game against Utah State, Friday, Dec. 29, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz. New Mexico State defeated Utah State 26-20 in overtime. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
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.
