Grand Rapids ranks among best cities for dogs

Courtesy Ehren Wynder

Grand Rapids recently ranked among the nation’s friendliest cities for canine companions.

In a recent study by LawnStarter, Grand Rapids came in at No. 33 among the Best Cities for Dogs in 2022.

The study examined some of the biggest U.S. cities in terms of dog-friendliness, including housing, services, care, affordability, policy favorability and access to dog-welcoming businesses.

Grand Rapids achieved an overall score of 37.4, earning its best individual scores in the care and housing categories.

To determine the rankings, LawnStarter gathered publicly available data among the cities and calculated weighted scores for each dog-friendliness category. Scores then were averaged for each city across all categories.

Leading the pack for overall dog-friendliness were Orlando, with an overall score of 53.908; Miami, with an overall score of 51.209; and Las Vegas, with an overall score of 50.341.

By contrast, the 2022 list named Detroit the least dog-friendly city with an overall score of 11.959.

The list featured 175 of the biggest cities in the U.S.