Dog Friendliest Cities: Minneapolis Makes the Top 20

When it comes to people and dogs, there are those who only want the outside dog and those who want an inside dog.

The people that only want the outside dog, want them for security and for hunting. Dogs are great for protection against animals and other people that might mean harm. They make great security dogs. Others have dogs for hunting purposes. They help during the hunt to both find the prey, flush them out, and find them after the hunter as succeded. There are farm dogs that help around the farm and sleep in the barn.

Many of these dogs are fine in that role, and in fact, thrive in it. And as long as they have protection from the elements, are fed and cared for (and not abused) it seems to be an okay arrangement.

Then there are the inside dog people. Those that are looking for not only a companion but a friend. Dogs are great for that as well. They not only can provide a layer of security but can double as a playmate for children and adults alike. Then there's the added benefit of bonding.

If you love to have your lovable canine inside the house, chances are, you like to bring them places. And depending on where you live can determine where you can take your furry friend.

So, what determines a dog-friendly city? Vet Naturals gathered data from Yelp to check people’s experiences at dog-friendly places in the Top 50 cities. They looked more at cities that were considered “outdoorsy” and they included businesses like:

• Hotels
• Beaches
• Breweries
• Campgrounds
• Restaurants

The end result of that study shows that Minneapolis to be ranked pretty high when it came to the most dog-friendly establishments (per capita):

Overall Ranking: #20

Dog-friendly Breweries: #5

Dog-friendly Hotels: #7

Dog-friendly Campgrounds: #6

Congrats Minneapolis. You made yet another list. But take a look at the Top 20. It’s based on the number of All Dog-Friendly Venues (Total) and the number of All Dog-Friendly Venues (Per Capita). But I noticed something interesting. When you look at the list of the top cities, according to this Yelp data, what sticks out?

1. Charleston
2. Miami
3. Portland
4. Oxnard
5. Honolulu
6. Tampa
7. San Diego
8. Oakland
9. Austin
10. Long Beach
11. Atlanta
12. San Francisco
13. Savannah
14. Seattle
15. Washington D.C.
16. New Orleans
17. Denver Colorado
18. Sacramento
19. Richmond
20. Minneapolis

Notice how most of those states are southern, warm-weather states. Minneapolis did pretty well. In, fact, the next best Upper Midwest city was Milwaukee at #47.

[Vet Naturals]