Detroit Is Almost the Least-Pet Friendly City in the Country

DETROIT, MI — The Motor City isn’t the least pet-friendly city in the country, but it’s close, according to a new report released in advance of National Homeless Animals Day, a Monday, Aug. 15, awareness event sponsored by The National Humane Education Society.

Some 80 million American households own a pet — an all-time high, according to WalletHub — but Detroit ranked 97th among the 100 cities analyzed by the personal finance website in its 2016’s Most Pet-Friendly Cities.

The number crunchers looked at 19 key metrics, ranging from the minimum rate charged by pet-care providers to the number of pet businesses per capita to to pet-friendly restaurants per capita. Read more about the methodology here.

Only one city, Newark, NJ, has fewer pet businesses per capita than Detroit. The city ranked 95th in the number of pet-friendly restaurants per capita

An American Pet Products Association survey, a record 65 percent, or 79.7 million, American households today own a pet.

At one point, pet owners had access to only a handful of businesses that offered animal services and supplies. Big industry names such as Petco and PetSmart were the most familiar. But numerous new pet businesses, especially microenterprises, have cropped up in our neighborhoods to fill the demand of this growing “breed” of consumers. Today, we spoil our pets in all kinds of ways, from gourmet pet food to luxury-hotel accommodations to — get this — pet “dating” services.

But adding a pet to the family roster can strike a hard blow to the owner’s wallet. A litany of expenses — including licenses, grooming and medical care — can cost between $235 to nearly $2,000 annually , depending on the type of animal. Health insurance alone can exceed $200 per year for a dog, and it may not even be worth it. And if you rent an apartment with an animal, you can expect to pay hundreds, if not thousands, more for a pet deposit, fee and rent.

Detroit ranked above Santa Ana, CA, and New York, NY. The other bottom nine are (from 96th to 91st) Philadelphia, PA; Newark,NJ.; Anaheim, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; and Jersey City, NJ.

The Top 10 are:

1. Orlando, FL
2. Birmingham, AL
3. Tamla,FL
4. Lexington, KY
5. Scottsdale, AZ
6. Reno, NV
7. Colorado Springs, CO
8. Cincinnati, OH
9. Las Vegas, NV
10. St. Louis, MO

Image: Kevin Dooley via Flickr / Creative Commons