Pet parents – pawse! Miami has long been known to have the best beaches, nightlife, year-round sunshine – and now, we’ve added another accolade. A recent study by Apartment Guide ranks Miami as the 3rd Best City in the U.S. for Pet Lovers - making it the best big city for your furry friends, just behind Sarasota, FL and Lancaster, PA.
Which really means we rank as the No. 1 Big City for pet parents in America, since the #1 and #2 spots aren’t big cities!
So, if you ever wanted to share the best of sun, sand, beach, and city life with your furbaby – Miami is your best bet!
America’s 3rd Best City for Pet Lovers - The Rankings
With each passing year, Miami progresses to join the ranks of global cities known to offer the best of everything. From a popular beach destination, the Magic City has grown to offer the full package, complete with art, culture, incredible restaurants, winning sports teams, nightlife, a pro-business environment, and now pet-friendly shores. We’ve also turned crypto-friendly; you can read more about that here.
Apartment Guide’s pet-friendliness study ranked U.S. cities on the basis of five pet-related categories: Health Services, Shelters, Grooming, Training/Boarding, and Outdoor Amenities. Each category was given an equal weight of 20 percent of the total score, and this is how Miami snapped up the third spot:
- Health: 12.58
- Shelters: 2.14
- Service/Grooming: 9.80
- Training/Boarding: 8.25
- Outdoor Amenities: 16.70
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TOTAL SCORE: 49.48
While we may need to improve on the Shelters (come on pet lovers, let’s unite!), we hands down have some of the best Outdoor Amenities and pet-friendly activities around.
How Pet-friendly is Miami?
For those looking for a little more detail, the study quoted that Miami has a total of 152 vets/animal hospitals, 90 grooming facilities, and around 157 parks – enough to make any pet parent happy, we’re sure.
But it doesn’t just stop at the facilities and green spaces. We have plenty of pet-friendly beaches, such as Hobie Beach, Haulover Beach Park, the bayfront Margaret Pace Park, and others.
Most Miami cafés and outdoor restaurants will also be happy to welcome your furry friend. There are also some that host monthly Happy Hours that you can enjoy with your beloved pup.
Further, as our furbabies hold special places in our lives, more and more condos in Miami are welcoming them too, with some even allowing larger pets. From the ultra-luxury Echo Brickell, Sunny Isles’ Turnberry Ocean Club, Downtown’s One Thousand Museum, Surfside’s Arte, and Edgewater’s Elysee to the pre-construction Mr. C Residences in Coconut Grove, South Beach’s Five Park, Brickell’s Una, and Downtown’s Waldorf Astoria – pets are welcome everywhere.
Additionally, those with an Emotional Support Animal (ESA dog or cat) will feel more welcome in their Miami home. Since the release of these new Florida laws announced in 2020, ESA parents will not be denied housing, will not be required to pay any extra monthly fee, nor be required to have their pets undergo any kind of special training before settling into their new home.
So, as a pet parent, if you’re looking to buy or rent a condo in Miami, feel free to call, chat, or email us to have a local, pet-loving real estate expert guide you and your furbaby into your next home.