Group Ranks Most and Least Pet-Friendly States

Every 5 years, the American Veterinary Medical Association conducts a pet ownership survey throughout the U.S. The findings, published in their U.S. Pet Ownership Demographics Sourcebook, detail which states have the largest number of pet owners and which have the least.

Based on their latest survey, Massachusetts doesn’t appear too pet-friendly.

Let’s break down some of the survey results:

Vermont was deemed the most pet-friendly state, with 70.8% of their households owning a pet. New Mexico was close behind with 67.6%, followed by South Dakota with 65.6%, Oregon with 63.6%, Maine with 62.9%, Washington with 62.7%, Arkansas with 62.4%, West Virginia with 62.1%, Idaho 62% and finally Wyoming wrapped up the list of the most pet-friendly states with 61.8% of citizens owning a pet.

Interested in the least pet-friendly states? So was I.

Neighboring Rhode Island started the list out with just 53% of households owning a pet. Minnesota was tied with Rhode Island with 53%. California continued the trend with only 52.9%, Maryland with 52.3%, Illinois with 51.8%, Nebraska with 51.3%, Utah with 51.2%, New Jersey with 50.7% and not surprisingly, New York reported just 50.6% of households own a pet.

I was shocked, however, to read that Massachusetts ranked the least pet-friendly state, with just 50.4% of our neighbors owning a pet.

I tried drawing conclusions based upon the states included in this list, but I really have no clear answers. For some states, such as New York, it seems obvious that a hectic city environment combined with a high percentage of apartment and condo renters would lead to being on the “least pet-friendly” list. But why is Massachusetts even less pet-friendly? Share your thoughts on this topic in the comment section below!

Elizabeth Cincotta is one of the co-founders of the Daily Dog Blog. Follow their Facebook page for updates. Leave her a comment here or contact her at Beth@dailydogblog.org.