Puppy Love is in the air… but not in a romantic way. The city of Atlanta loves their pets. A new study shows Atlanta to be one of the best places to live if you’re an animal lover.
Because of the importance of pets to nearly 85 million home and pet owners/buyers, WalletHub released a study ranking the most pet friendly cities in the United States. Atlanta was recently ranked the ninth (out of 100) most friendly city for pets and tied for first place in having the most pet-friendly restaurants.
House hunting is stressful, that is just part of its nature. However, moving with a pet can put even more tension on the move. Perhaps the biggest worry is whether they’ll be able to afford a pet fee, pet care, or easily find a vet. Realtors can help alleviate these stresses by anticipating pet needs of the client as well when looking for houses that fit their criteria.
In fact, a survey conducted by Harris Poll showed that millennials who haven’t yet bought a home, 42 percent said current or future dog ownership will be a key factor in a future purchase. In the United States, pets are very often considered family.
The cities studied were chosen as they are the most heavily populated and analyzed using three main criteria:
- Pet Budget
- Veterinary costs
- Minimum Pet-Care Rate per visit
- Dog Insurance Premiums
- Pet Health & Wellness (including but not limited to)
- Number of Veterinarians per capita
- Pet Caretakers per capita
- Pet Businesses per capita
- Pet-Friendly Restaurants per capita
- Pet Friendliness of the Rental Market
- Average Home Square Footage
- Animal Shelters per capita
- Strength of Animal Protection Laws
- Outdoor Pet-Friendliness
- Dog Parks per capita
- Parkland as Share of City Area
- Pet Friendly Trails per capita
- Dog Shows per capita
So pat yourselves on the back Atlanta, it’s very safe to say that you are just as big a priority to your pets as they are to you.