The best cities in the world for dog lovers

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Do you get your daily vitamin D(og)?

Nothing brings sunshine to your day like a dog. If you don’t have your own dog, a furry encounter in the street brings a smile to your troubled heart. (More specifically, it gives you a shot of beta-endorphin, oxytocin, and dopamine.)

If you do have a dog, you can multiply your shared joy at a well-attended park, dog-friendly gym or just sitting at your front window together yelling at all the dogs that pass.

But these sightings are more common in some cities than others. Having researched the video games where you can pet the dog, Protect My Paws has now identified the cities where you’re most likely to find a dog to pet* in the cities around the world with the most dogs per km2 and per 100 people.

(*Disclaimer: always ask the owner before you pet the dog.)

Image Credit: nd3000 / iStock.

Methodology

We searched for the number of registered dogs (strays not counted) in capital and major cities using academic reports and official government statistics, as well as news stories from respected sources. We then divided the figures by the area (in km2) and population of each city.

You can find a full list of sources here.

Image Credit: BartekSzewczyk / istockphoto.

20. Denver

  • Population: 715,522
  • Area (km2): 396
  • Number of dogs: 158,000
  • Dogs/km2: 399
  • Dogs/100 humans: 22.1

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

19. Tehran, Iran

  • Population: 8,693,706
  • Area (km2): 751
  • Number of dogs: 350,000
  • Dogs/km2: 466
  • Dogs/100 humans: 4

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

18. Madrid

  • Population: 3,223,334
  • Area (km2): 606
  • Number of dogs: 282,315
  • Dogs/km2: 466
  • Dogs/100 humans: 8.8

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

17. Moscow

  • Population: 12,506,468
  • Area (km2): 2,511
  • Number of dogs: 1,269,000
  • Dogs/km2: 505
  • Dogs/100 humans: 10.1

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

16. Brussels

  • Population: 1,208,542
  • Area (km2): 162
  • Number of dogs: 88,180
  • Dogs/km2: 543
  • Dogs/100 humans: 7.3

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

15. San Diego, California

  • Population: 1,386,932
  • Area (km2): 842
  • Number of dogs: 500,000
  • Dogs/km2: 594
  • Dogs/100 humans: 36.1

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

14. Bucharest, Romania

  • Population: 1,883,425
  • Area (km2): 228
  • Number of dogs: 151,476
  • Dogs/km2: 664
  • Dogs/100 humans: 8

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

13. Seattle

  • Population: 737,015
  • Area (km2): 217
  • Number of dogs: 153,000
  • Dogs/km2: 705
  • Dogs/100 humans: 20.8

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

12. Stockholm, Sweden

  • Population: 975,819
  • Area (km2): 188
  • Number of dogs: 140,000
  • Dogs/km2: 745
  • Dogs/100 humans: 14.3

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

11. Budapest, Hungary

  • Population: 1,752,286
  • Area (km2): 525
  • Number of dogs: 400,000
  • Dogs/km2: 762
  • Dogs/100 humans: 22.8

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

10. New York City

  • Population: 8,804,190
  • Area (km2): 784
  • Number of dogs: 600,000
  • Dogs/km2: 765
  • Dogs/100 humans: 6.8

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

9. Houston

  • Population: 2,304,580
  • Area (km2): 1,553
  • Number of dogs: 1,200,000
  • Dogs/km2: 773
  • Dogs/100 humans: 52.1

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

8. Copenhagen, Denmark

  • Population: 799,033
  • Area (km2): 179
  • Number of dogs: 160,000
  • Dogs/km2: 890
  • Dogs/100 humans: 20

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

7. Philidelphia

  • Population: 1,603,797
  • Area (km2): 347
  • Number of dogs: 350,000
  • Dogs/km2: 1,009
  • Dogs/100 humans: 21.8

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

6. Taipei, Taiwan

  • Population: 2,704,810
  • Area (km2): 271
  • Number of dogs: 278,346
  • Dogs/km2: 1,024
  • Dogs/100 humans: 10.3

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

5. Chicago

  • Population: 2,746,388
  • Area (km2): 589
  • Number of dogs: 610,600
  • Dogs/km2: 1,037
  • Dogs/100 humans: 22.2

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

4. Havana, Cuba

  • Population: 2,143,000
  • Area (km2): 728
  • Number of dogs: 869,880
  • Dogs/km2: 1,194
  • Dogs/100 humans: 40.6

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

3. Bern, Switzerland

  • Population: 133,791
  • Area (km2): 51
  • Number of dogs: 63,800
  • Dogs/km2: 1,236
  • Dogs/100 humans: 47.7

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

2. Buenos Aires

  • Population: 2,891,082
  • Area (km2): 203
  • Number of dogs: 500,000
  • Dogs/km2: 2,463
  • Dogs/100 humans: 17.3

Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

1. Paris

  • Population: 2,175,601
  • Area (km2): 105
  • Number of dogs: 300,000
  • Dogs/km2: 2,857
  • Dogs/100 humans: 13.8

You can find more dog data at Protect My Paws.

Related:

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originally appeared on 
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Image Credit: Protect My Paws / Neomam.

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