Boise, ID, has truly gone to the dogs—largely because it’s easy to find a dog park there.
According to data compiled by The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit organization, shows Boise has the most dog parks among the country’s 100 largest cities.
The nonprofit counted 15 dog parks in Boise for 2018, translating into 6.7 dog parks per 100,000 residents. The City of Boise puts the number at 13. Either way, Boise leads the dog-park pack.
So, it appears that if you’re a dog or a dog owner, Boise is a doggone great place to be.
How did Boise claw its way to the top?
Bonnie Shelton, communications manager for the Boise Parks and Recreation Department, says the city is committed to dog parks because they’re a key facet of Boise’s quality of life. That quality of life recently was recognized by personal finance website WalletHub, which ranked Boise ninth for recreation among the 100 largest U.S. cities.
“Our dogs are members of our family, and if they encourage us to get outside and be active, we wholeheartedly support that,” Shelton says. “Our mission is to provide recreation opportunities for people of all ages and abilities, and providing places for people and their pets to recreate is an important part of that.”
Boise plans to add dog parks at five more sites around the city, according to Shelton.
“Because our park users are spread out throughout the Boise metro area, we want to provide a variety of locations for dog owners to get outside and recreate with their pets,” she says.
The Trust for Public Land says dog parks — dedicated off-leash areas for canines and their human parents — are among the fastest-growing amenities at park systems in the 100 largest U.S. cities. For 2018, the group tallied 774 dog parks, up 4.9 percent from the previous year. Since 2009, the 100 largest cities have collared 40 percent more dog parks.
“Many public park agencies now have ordinances and sets of design standards that govern the creation, ongoing maintenance, and operation of dog parks,” The Trust for Public Land says in a May 2018 report. “However, most important, we find that what makes dog parks successful is strong collaboration between the public parks agency, the surrounding community, and a local dog advocacy group — primarily volunteers that have a strong ownership stake in the dog park.”
Here are the 10 cities that are barking up the right tree when it comes to dog parks.
1. Boise, ID
15 dog parks
6.7 dog parks per 100,000 residents
2 (tie). Portland, OR
33 dog parks
5.2 dog parks per 100,000 residents
2 (tie). Henderson, NV
15 dog parks
5.2 dog parks per 100,000 residents
4. Norfolk, VA
12 dog parks
4.8 dog parks per 100,000 residents
5 (tie). Las Vegas, NV
26 dog parks
4 dog parks per 100,000 residents
5 (tie). Madison, WI
10 dog parks
4 dog parks per 100,000 residents
7. Oakland, CA
16 dog parks
3.8 dog parks per 100,000 residents
8. San Francisco, CA
32 dog parks
3.7 dog parks per 100,000 residents
9 (tie). Tampa, FL
13 dog parks
3.5 dog parks per 100,000 residents
9 (tie). Arlington, VA
8 dog parks
3.5 dog parks per 100,000 residents
