Is New York Among Best States to Adopt a Dog?

Fact Checked by Pat McLoone

Because it’s stray season around the country – that time when people find abandoned dogs out and about – we decided to look into the best states to adopt a dog.

EmpireStakes.com took a break from covering New York sports betting and used data from RescueMe.org to find the number of dog rescue groups and adoption agencies in every state. Then, we ranked each state by how many rescue organizations they had per square mile.

State with Most Dog Rescues per Square Mile

Here is a cultural story with statistics you won’t find on any New York betting apps.

RankState# Dog Rescue GroupsRescues per Sq. Mile
1Rhode Island920.059551165
2Connecticut2450.044196623
3New Jersey3480.039896453
4Delaware860.034555916
5Maryland2580.020796506
6Massachusetts1670.01528228
7New Hampshire1090.011658801
8Florida6230.009445634
9Pennsylvania4350.009445364
10Vermont830.008631124
11North Carolina4580.00850998
12Ohio3670.008187289
13Tennessee3440.008162442
14Virginia3470.008112228
15Georgia4510.007589252
16New York4050.007423704
17South Carolina2340.007307821
18Indiana2570.00705665
19California9150.005589673
20Alabama2750.005246082
21Kentucky1920.004787099
22Illinois2690.004644854
23West Virginia1120.004622361
24Texas10300.003834749
25Arizona4200.003684524

 

How New York Fared in Rankings

New York came in 16th, in part because of the population density of New York City.

That’s not to say that city folk don’t like their dogs, they do. But across the entire state, 27% of residents own dogs, and in the five boroughs that number drops almost in half. But with one in seven houses and apartments having licensed dogs as residents, that’s still about 425,000 dogs. Being New York, you can be sure there are also a lot of unlicensed dogs.

And there are dogs throughout the city and state’s shelters waiting for a forever home. One NYC shelter claims to take in 100 dogs a day. While the state has no breed restrictions, if you live in a building owned by the New York City Housing Association, no Doberman pinschers, pit bulls or Rottweilers for you. And no pup over 25 pounds. All shelter dogs in New York are spayed/neutered and vaccinated. A quick visit to the vet for a fuller check-up is recommended.

Adopting a dog in New York can cost between $75 and $250. And if you want to wait until fall, October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.

Like most states, New York’s favorite breed is the Labrador, followed by German shepherds and Golden retrievers. In New York City, the French poodle is popular.

References

  1. RescueMe.org

Author

Howard Gensler

Howard Gensler is a veteran journalist who’s worked at the Philadelphia Daily News, TV Guide and the Philadelphia Inquirer and is a founding editor of bettorsinsider.com.

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