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Notes: Alexandria ranked second best city in America for dogs

By ALXnow.com

Good Friday morning, Alexandria!

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Alexandria has snagged the second-place spot in Rent.com’s “10 Best Cities for Dogs” list, Alexandria Living Magazine reported.

The list looks at the number of dog-friendly services and amenities per capita and per square mile, like pet sitting and boarding facilities. The list also counts the total number of dog parks, pet supply stores and animal shelters.

The city moved up from the number three spot last year. In a poll last year, 78.8% of ALXnow readers said they agreed that Alexandria was an exceptionally dog-friendly city.

According to Rent.com:

Alexandria, located in the Washington, D.C., metro, is the smallest city on this list. Just 154,706 people call this Virginia city home. But it punches above its weight when it comes to dog-friendly amenities. And it does it by ranking high in per capita amenities, not sheer quantity.

Alexandria hovers near the bottom in most categories. But when it does move up from the last slot, it beat out larger cities to move up the ranks.

The city’s best showing is at No. 6 for its 78 boarding facilities. That’s more than Fort Lauderdale, Florida (population 181,668) and Knoxville, Tennessee (population 192,648). It’s also more than Pittsburgh, which has almost twice as many people as Alexandria.

It came in seventh for the total number dog parks. Alexandria also took 10th in both grooming and pet supply stores.

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About the Author

  • This is the staff byline for ALXnow, used by editors and other full-time staff. Launched in October 2019, ALXnow is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Alexandria, Virginia.