Tampa is the second best city in America for dog lovers, according to LawnStarter

Tampa is a city for dogs. LawnStarter recently published a list of the best cities for dog lovers, and Tampa ranked number 2 in the country. Our friends in Orlando took the top spot for dog lovers. Tampa ranked high for its volume of pet-friendly rentals, number of top-rated dog parks, amount of pet owner meetups across the city, plus dog-friendly establishments to visit.

Dog owners have access to the fourth-highest number of dog parks per capita (4.9 parks for every 100,000 residents) in Tampa. There are also 242 dog-friendly restaurants in Tampa, Florida (18th-highest), as well as 62.5 pet stores and vet offices per 10,000 establishments (39th-highest).

Ybor City just recently debuted its new 4,000-square-foot dog park. Two Shepherds Taproom has become a go-to dog-friendly spot. The city also landed an indoor/outdoor dog park and bar with special memberships for pups. There’s even a chic new dog bakery you need to take your pet to in South Tampa.

Tampa remains a top dog-friendly destination

The beautiful stretch of Bayshore Boulevard, Curtis Hixon Park, the Tampa Riverwalk, our plethora of breweries and more make our fantastic city a paradise for pups. Our own Tampa International Airport has a pet relief area, as well.

Last year, SmartAsset also ranked Tampa as one of the most pet-friendly cities in America. Here are the metrics SmartAsset used to devise their rankings:

• Dog parks per 100,000 residents. Data comes from the Trust for Public Land’s 2022 Amenities and Facilities Report.
• Dog-friendly restaurants. This is the number of restaurants that allow dogs in outdoor seating areas. Data comes from BringFido.com and was pulled in July 2022.
• Dog-friendly shopping centers. This is the number of shopping centers that allow dogs. Data comes from BringFido.com and was pulled in July 2022.
• Average home sales price. Data comes from RedFin and is an average across the 12-month period spanning July 2021 to June 2022.
• Walk score. This factor measures the walkability of each city. Data comes from Walkscore.com’s 2021 City and Neighborhood Ranking.
• Average annual days of precipitation. Data comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and represents 20-year averages from 2001-2020.
• Concentration of pet stores and veterinary offices. This is the number of pet stores and veterinary offices per 10,000 establishments. Data comes from the 2020 County Business Patterns Survey and is at the county level.

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