2023’s Best Cities for Dog Lovers

What can dog owners do to make sure their pups are socialized before unleashing them around other hounds at dog parks and dog-friendly events?

It is best to start socializing your dog when it is a puppy, as that is when they are most responsive to learning new things. Puppy kindergarten classes are a great way to get off on the right foot.

It is also important to ensure they get to play with other dogs as a puppy as well so they learn their social cues. Make sure the other dogs they play with are known to be trusted to play well with puppies and are up-to-date on their vaccinations.

Have an older puppy or adult dog? Keep it on a leash when first meeting new dogs to see how it responds.

• If it is scared or aggressive in response to the encounters, it is best to keep it out of the dog park and other events where there will be other dogs.
• Does it respond by play bowing and have a relaxed expression? Then being around other dogs is likely possible.

Besides lots of dog parks and vets, how can local governments make their cities more attractive to dog owners?

1. Leash laws are actually good for everyone, including dog owners.

2. Dog-friendly restaurants and hotels are also attractive to dog owners.

3. Having dog-specific events, such as an end-of-the-summer pool party at a local pool is fun for owners and dogs alike.

What are the three most important considerations when adopting a dog?

There are many things to think about prior to adopting a dog, but listed below are three important ones.

1. Does your lifestyle suit having a dog? Dogs need to be walked and have time each day to spend with you, as they are very social animals. Some dogs need a lot of exercise as well. Other dogs need to be groomed on a regular basis. Are you able to do it or are you able to afford to take it to a groomer?

2. Does your current living situation suit the needs of the dog you want to get? Some dogs do best if they have a fenced-in yard in which to run around. Owning a Great Dane or Border Collie may not be the best idea if you live in a small apartment and can’t get out to exercise it on a regular basis.

3. Can you afford to own a dog? Let’s face it, owning a dog can be expensive, and the larger the breed, the more it costs to feed it and pay for food, medication, and veterinary bills. Maybe you can afford general care, but can you afford emergency expenses that can occur? If not, can you afford pet insurance? Can you afford a pet sitter or a boarding facility if needed?

Many animal shelters are struggling with increasing pet surrenders as a result of higher housing costs. How can dog owners help their local Humane Society if they can’t bring home any more pups?

There are several ways to help your local animal shelter or humane society. You can:

• Donate pet food.
• Donate old towels and blankets for bedding.
• Volunteer your time to walk and socialize dogs.
• Donate money to go towards shelter and/or humane society expenses.
• Have a fundraiser.
• Transport animals (if needed) to other shelters that aren’t as crowded.

What can dog owners do to make sure their pups are socialized before unleashing them around other hounds at dog parks and dog-friendly events?

The best way to socialize dogs is to introduce them slowly to other dogs. Socialization is best done when dogs are young but can still be accomplished as adults. This may take some time so pet owners may need to be patient. A good way to socialize dogs is during frequent walks where they can be introduced to new environments, people, and dogs. Dog parks should be the culmination of a slow process of introducing your dog to others.

It is also important for owners to understand their dogs and notice their body language to avoid confrontations.

Besides lots of dog parks and vets, how can local governments make their cities more attractive to dog owners?

Cities can be made more dog friendly by educating the pet owning and non-pet owning community. Working with city planners and developers to make spaces dog friendly ie more grass, waste disposal stations with bags provided, water stations etc. Encourage buildings, restaurants, and shopping areas to be dog friendly. Discourage HOA and rental agreements that ban dogs. Education in the benefit of dog ownership and the human animal bond.

Encourage dog facilitative therapy to the public ie hospitals and schools.

What are the three most important considerations when adopting a dog?

• Make sure your family is prepared for responsibly pet ownership.
• Financial and emotional factors are considerations.
• Make sure you investigate dog breeds on-line or in the library to understand size, environment required, good with children activity level etc.

Many animal shelters are struggling with increasing pet surrenders as a result of higher housing costs. How can dog owners help their local Humane Society if they can’t bring home any more pups?

The best way to help animal shelters is to meet with them and brainstorm on ideas for exposure to the public for further adoptive families. This could include adoption days at businesses and public events. Education and pet population control is a longer term goal and everyone can play a role in education.

What can dog owners do to make sure their pups are socialized before unleashing them around other dogs at dog parks and dog-friendly events?

Remember that only a minority of dogs actually enjoy situations like this, and it is completely normal if your dog would prefer to just hang out with a few known dog friends or even just relax with their human family in a more low-key environment. That said, if you have a social butterfly of a dog, these events might be fun for both of you!

First, familiarize yourself with dog body language and make sure you can tell when your dog is enjoying the socializing and when they’d rather have some space. Along these lines, keep an eye on the body language of the other dogs. Even if your dog is being friendly, if the other dog is not having a good time, it is time to step in and move your dog away.

As far as socialization, whether you have a puppy or adult, make sure your dog has positive experiences with other dogs and the world in general. Start with a dog friend or two, or go to the outskirts of a dog-friendly event and stay for just part of it. If your dog enjoys that, next time you

can try a bit more, but its always better to err on the side of caution than for your dog (or others) to have a bad experience.

Besides lots of dog parks and vets, how can local governments make their cities more attractive to dog owners?

Work to make sure your city has plenty of affordable, pet friendly housing that does not have breed or weight limits.

Counterintuitively, have leash laws and enforce those outside of safe, contained, well-marked off leash areas. Many dogs do not like being approached by off-leash dogs, so leash laws can greatly increase the comfort and safety of dogs and their owners. Along with that, be sure there are appropriate designated areas for dogs to run and play off leash. Larger, fenced areas are preferred.

Have natural areas (green space!) – this will benefit both pets and people.

Make sure you do not have discriminatory breed specific legislation in place.

What are the three most important considerations when adopting a dog?

Pick a dog that is well-suited to your home and lifestyle – consider the individual rather than stereotypes. See if the shelter has notes about what that individual is like in a home, and if they don’t know a lot about that individual, see if you can foster to adopt to make sure that the dog fits in well with your lifestyle. Dogs often behave differently in the shelter than they will in a home.

• Consider compatibility with other people and animals in your home as well

Expect some initial hiccups and remember that your dog will likely need time and guidance to learn to fit into life with you – prepare to be patient and be able to invest time and resources into training (training classes can be great, especially if you are adding a puppy for the socialization aspect, but lower cost resources include free YouTube videos like those by Kikopup). Find a trainer who uses positive reinforcement and avoid using fear or pain to train!

• Consider adopting an older adult dog that may already have many of the skills (like house training) that make them easy to live with.

Form that bond! Love your dog for who they are and actively try to find activities that you both enjoy doing together, such as long leisurely walks in the woods or silly play sessions in the house.

Many animal shelters are struggling with increasing pet surrenders as a result of higher housing costs. How can dog owners help their local shelter if they can’t bring home any more pups?

• Foster! Temporarily caring for an animal can improve that animal’s welfare, help network the animal, and help the shelter learn more about how that animal behaves in a home. Many shelters even often short-term fostering opportunities as well, such as taking a dog home just for a weekend or taking care of an animal while the regular foster is traveling.
• Volunteering – whether it’s walking dogs, petting cats, or helping at adoption events, most shelters offer a variety of opportunities to get involved.
• Donating money or specific items that the shelter requests.
• Advocacy and networking – let people in your life and community know about specific animals at the shelter that are looking for homes. Sometimes it helps to pick just one and be that animal’s advocate until they find their new home.

What can dog owners do to make sure their pups are socialized before unleashing them around other hounds at dog parks and dog-friendly events?

With any new dog or puppy, gradually and safely introducing them to people who look different from you, children (if you have none), new sights and sounds to gauge their comfort level is important. Socialization and positive reinforcement classes are an excellent way for puppies or adult dogs to meet new people and other well socialized dogs. This provides a controlled environment to practice off-leash exploration and play. These classes provide an opportunity to ensure the dog will recall back to us (no matter how distracting or interesting the setting) is consistently 100% of the time prior to any off-leash activity in a dog park or dog-friendly event. Many dogs do not do well in unpredictable or chaotic environments (such as dog friendly events or dog parks) and monitoring their body language for signs of stress while positively reinforcing calm and relaxed behavior is critical. Some dogs will feel most comfortable watching from the “side lines” on a leash next to their owner which is absolutely okay!

Besides lots of dog parks and vets, how can local governments make their cities more attractive to dog owners?

As many dogs do not do well in the uncontrolled environment of a dog park, having other ways a dog can still socially engage is important. These may include encouraging pet friendly businesses where dogs are allowed on a patio area with fresh water as well as shaded resting places near their owner. More businesses allow indoor dog access to friendly dogs for socialization. Again, an emphasis must be placed upon monitoring for signs of fear and stress to avoid placing a dog in a situation which causes it stress, or could put any humans in danger.

What are the three most important considerations when adopting a dog?

A consideration of ones’ lifestyle and home environment and how each may match the personality of the individual dog is important. Any underlying health concerns for the dog should be considered as well as the estimated cost of pet ownership. Adopted dogs often have vaccinations and are spayed or neutered, but additional costs must be considered. These includes preventatives for fleas, ticks, deworming and vaccines which have not been completed (or may be needed based on the pet’s lifestyle). Finally, all dogs benefit from structured training via group or individual classes (depending on the pet’s personality). These can be invaluable to improve the relationship between the dog and its new “humans”.

Many animal shelters are struggling with increasing pet surrenders as a result of higher housing costs. How can dog owners help their local Humane Society if they can’t bring home any more pups?

Offering to be a shelter foster or volunteer can provide incredible benefit to all. Many shelters have no space for additional animals and must rely upon fosters to house pets safely until they can be adopted. When we volunteer our time or expertise we may reduce a shelter’s expenses and allow their resources to be directed to immediate shelter needs (even if we cannot bring them home)! Finally, check with your local shelter to see if they are in need of any particular donations such as environmental enrichment toys, food, bedding or other supplies such as leashes or collars.

What can dog owners do to make sure their pups are socialized before unleashing them around other hounds at dog parks and dog-friendly events?

Socialization starts at an early age and puppies are especially sensitive to new experiences (between roughly 3-16 weeks of age). Taking puppies to well run puppy classes is an excellent way to build socialization experiences with both new people and dogs. No matter the age of the dog, experiences around other dogs should be kept positive to help them form a predictable association. Even with the best socialization it is important to remember that most dogs fall into a category known as “dog-selective”. What this means is while most dogs will enjoy the company of select individuals, they might be frightened and aggressive toward others. When dogs are off leash and interacting with other dogs there should always be supervision to ensure everyone is enjoying the experience. If your dog is frightened or aggressive toward most other dogs it’s also perfectly fine to keep their social group small and find other ways to build in enrichment such as going for low-stress sniff walks.

Besides lots of dog parks and vets, how can local governments make their cities more attractive to dog owners?

Making cities safe and clean for dogs, dog owners, and non dog owners alike should be a priority for dog friendly cities. This means plenty of sidewalks, and walkways with trash cans or pet waste receptacles available for easy use. If restaurants and businesses would like to make their place of business more pet friendly, water bowls and treat stations are a great way to make dogs feel comfortable. Breed bans are not effective, science based, or welcoming to dog owners and should not be considered when planning a city for dogs. Vaccination laws are an important piece of legislation that supports a healthy pet population.

What are the three most important considerations when adopting a dog?

When purchasing a dog from a breeder it’s important to consider the breeders reputation and history. The breeder should be breeding dogs for health and temperament.

When adopting any dog, resources such as space, finances, and time should be taken into consideration. Many of the costs of owning a dog might not be readily apparent such as finding boarding, taking the time to train a dog, dog walkers if the owner can’t be home, and emergency veterinary care to name a few.

Lastly, consider how the dog will fit in your family. Each dog has a unique personality and some will fit better than others. For instance dogs who are fearful of noises and people might not do well in a home with small children.

Many animal shelters are struggling with increasing pet surrenders as a result of higher housing costs. How can dog owners help their local Humane Society if they can’t bring home any more pups?

Supporting your local Humane Society and other local shelters is an important part of keeping a healthy community by keeping dogs and cats off the streets and in homes. Apart from long term foster and financial contributions there are many ways to support the facilities. Short term foster (even just a weekend) can be a great way to give a dog a little vacation from the shelter and reduce their stress. Volunteering time to help walk or play with dogs can be another great way to get involved. Pet food and blanket donations can help with the overall financial burden on shelters as well.