American Eskimo Dog Puppies for Sale in New Jersey, NJ

New Jersey has a lot going for it for animal lovers, including great adoption rates at its shelters and high numbers of pet services. However, a few cities in New Jersey bring the state’s score down a bit overall. 

Pawsafe ranks New Jersey as the 18th most dog-friendly state in the country. Their in-depth study ranks all 50 states according to key pet health indicators like dog care costs, walkability, the number of pet-friendly rentals, and animal welfare laws. New Jersey ranked fairly high for Pawsafe because of the strong number of pet services available in the state. Pawsafe placed New Jersey 10th in this regard.

However, a similar study from Safewise reached a much different conclusion. Their study rated New Jersey as the fifth least pet-friendly state. A few less dog-friendly cities in packed metropolitan areas primarily drove this low ranking.

Are cities in New Jersey good for pet ownership?

Another study, by WalletHub, analyzed the 100 largest cities in the United States to find the most pet-friendly cities. While a few cities in New Jersey did make it onto the list, they didn’t rank very high.

Newark

Newark placed 98th out of the 100 cities included in the study.

There are several reasons Wallethub classified Newark as one of the least pet-friendly cities. It has the fewest pet businesses and the third least dog-friendly restaurants per capita. The city also has the fewest veterinarians and some of the highest pet care costs. 

And, Newark ranked last as one of the only four major cities without a single dog park. So, while your pup can of course still be safe and happy in Newark, you may find it takes a little extra money and effort to get the care she needs.

Jersey City

Jersey City ranks a bit higher than Newark across those same measures. Wallethub’s rankings have Jersey City as 78th for pet-friendliness among the major cities. 

A Trust for Public Land (TPL) study revealed that Jersey City has the 12th highest number of dog parks per capita, with 2.5 dog parks per 100,000 residents. 

A few more numbers for New Jersey’s dogs

Only 29% of New Jersey residents own a dog, which is well below the national average of 40%. The state’s total pet ownership rate is low, as well. Only 47% of New Jersey families own a pet.

Animal welfare & dog shelters in New Jersey

New Jersey does a pretty good job with saving animals in shelters. The state saved 2,226 more animals in 2020 than in 2019. And 49 of the state’s 80 animal shelters are no-kill shelters. The overall save rate for the state is slightly over 87%, making New Jersey close to the 90% mark necessary to be a no-kill state.