Local

Fresno is ranked among the worst U.S. cities for pets. Do you agree?

Fresno has been ranked as one of the country’s worst cities for pets.

A dog looks out from his pen at Fresno Humane Animal Services in 2016.
A dog looks out from his pen at Fresno Humane Animal Services in 2016. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Annie Hoffman of Los Angeles takes her show dogs for a walk during the Sun Maid Kennel Club’s annual dog show in February at the Big Fresno Fairgrounds.
Annie Hoffman of Los Angeles takes her show dogs for a walk during the Sun Maid Kennel Club’s annual dog show in February at the Big Fresno Fairgrounds. JOHN WALKER jwalker@fresnobee.com


The ranking – No. 91 overall out of the 100 largest U.S. cities (with No. 1 being the most pet-friendly) – was determined by personal finance website WalletHub.

The 2018 Most Pet-Friendly Cities report presents data evaluating cities in three main areas: costs of caring for a pet, pet health and wellness, and outdoor pet-friendliness.

Fresno ranked among the top quarter of big U.S. cities in just four of 24 categories: strength of animal protection laws (No. 3 out of 100), dog shows per capita (No. 12), weather (No. 19), and animal shelters per capita (No. 23).

The city ranked among the bottom 25 percent in seven areas, the worst being “parkland as share of city area” (No. 94). That’s followed by share of homes with one or fewer occupants per room, and pet caretakers per capita (each ranked at No. 92), pet meet-up groups per capita (No. 85), pet businesses per capita (No. 77), dog-friendly restaurants per capita and dog insurance premium (each ranked at No. 76).

The top five most pet-friendly cities, per WalletHub, are Scottsdale, Ariz.; Orlando, Fla.; San Diego; Austin, Texas; and Phoenix.

Honolulu is ranked the worst overall for pets, followed by Buffalo, N.Y.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Laredo, Texas; Baltimore; and Mesa, Ariz.

The full report is available at wallethub.com.

Carmen George: 559-441-6386, @CarmenGeorge
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER