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By Luko
The best cities for your four-legged friend
Weâre so obsessed with dogs at Luko, that our furry friends even have their own Instagram page. Having a canine companion during the Covid-19 crisis has been invaluable. A dog offers much-needed affection and the perfect excuse to go for a walk. With a record number of adoptions during the pandemic, itâs clear that weâre not the only ones whoâve realised the value of a puppy pal.
However, as the economy begins to feel the true impact of the crisis, some animal owners are just one accident away from being unable to afford their pet if they donât have dog insurance. Rescue centres worry about a sharp increase in returning pups because the owner is unable to pay for the pet or circumstances surrounding the care of the animal have changed when moving jobs or getting back to work after unemployment. Dog ownership is no simple or easy responsibility - even in the best of times. But we want to help our fellow dog owners and lovers by providing as much data about the world of dogs. That is why we commissioned this study.
The study aims to reveal not only those cities which are best catered for dog owners, with superior pooch-friendly infrastructure, but also those where dogs are treated better according to the abandonment rate. The data also looks at where dog owners do and donât follow the rules (and yes, we do mean picking up poop), and which cities are committed to keeping the streets clean and safe for pooches by penalising misbehaviour.
Where did our study start? We took a list of cities around the globe previously cited as a good location for dogs. We finalized the list of 50 locations with comparable and available data. We then considered what makes a city perfect for a pooch: Plentiful parks, pet stores, vets, and dog-friendly establishments such as hotels and restaurants. These all contribute towards a paw-fect dog infrastructure in a city. As any pet owner knows, as much as we love them, doggos can cost a bundle, so the lifetime cost of keeping a dog was also taken into account.
To paint a picture of how many pups live in each city, we calculated an estimate of dogs per capita for every location. And to determine how responsible dog owners are in each city, we investigated how many dogs are abandoned each year and the official fines for not cleaning up dog mess. To complement our findings, we also asked residents in each city to rate responsible dog ownership in their area with regards to how responsible dog owners are in cleaning up their petâs poop. The final results reveal which cities are home to the happiest hounds.Â
Columns are scored out of 100, the higher the score, the better. The default ranking for the table is the total score.
The 2022 Best Cities for Dogs Index compares and analyses the conditions for dogs in 50 major dog-friendly cities around the world. The study does not reflect âthe best and worstâ cities for dogs but instead evaluates the dog-friendly environment of these cities based on factors related to dog ownership.
The study focuses on three main categories - Infrastructure; Cost; Regulation and Ownership. The following ten factors contributed to our rating of what makes a city dog-friendly.
Infrastructure
Cost
Regulation and Ownership
The methods used to find each factor are described in detail below. All of the information collected is based on the latest data available.
In cases where a factor consisted of one or more indicators, these were scored and averaged. The equation for scores is as follows:
z-Score = (x - mean(X)) / Standard deviation(X) in short (x - Ο)/Ď
For columns where a low value is better, for example, a low number of abandoned dogs, the score is inverted such that it is attributed a higher score:
z-Score inverted = -1 * (x - mean(X)) / Standard deviation(X) in short -1 * (x - Ο)/Ď
Where present for a factor, scores are normalised such that 50 equals the lowest value in the final dataset and 100 the highest value in the final dataset. Therefore, the higher the score, the better the city ranks for that factor in comparison to the other cities in the index. The equation for normalization is as follows:
score = (100-50) * (x - min(X)) / (max(X) - min(X)) + 50
A web-survey of residents of the cities in this index was run between 10 and 17 August 2020. The responses were used to calculate the entire score for the factor âDog Waste Survey (Score)â.Â
Furthermore, the responses were used in conjunction with other indicators in the calculation of two other factors:
Details are provided below within the Factor descriptions.
Estimated number of owned dogs per 1,000 inhabitants. Refers to the total number of dogs owned in each city.
Sources:Â Local Authorities, local media, as well as NGOs and pet food companies
Ratio of the number of veterinarians and veterinary institutions to the estimated number of dogs.
Sources:Â Yelp, Google maps, Yellow Pages among other local sources
Number of pet stores per capita.
Sources:Â Yelp, Google maps, Yellow Pages among other local sources
A combination of the number of restaurants where dogs are allowed divided by the city population; and results from a survey of city residents.
Sources:Â Yelp, Tripadvisor, local sources, survey results.
Number of hotels where dogs are allowed divided by the total number of hotels.
Sources:Â Booking.com
A combination of the number of parks marked as dog parks; and results from a survey of city residents.
Sources:Â Yelp, survey results.
Accumulated cost of owning a dog throughout its entire life (in USD).
Cost Estimate (City) = Cost Estimate Country * (Numbeo Cost of Living Index (City) / Numbeo Cost of Living Index (Country))
Sources:Â Finty (Pet Ownership Costs Around the World), Numbeo
Exchange rate took place from EUR to USD on 18th August 2020.
Estimated number of abandoned dogs per year.
Sources:Â Local Authorities, animal shelters, local media as well as NGOs
Score based on the minimum fine a dog owner would need to pay for not removing dog waste.
Sources:Â Local Authorities, media reports
Score is calculated from the responses to a web survey run in August 2020, in which residents were asked about dog owners and dog waste in their city.
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