Puppies for Sale in Idaho, ID

We have to be honest that Idaho has some areas to improve in its dog-friendly status. But not to worry, the state does have some great highlights! It’s a stellar travel destination for people who travel with their pets and has some very dog-friendly cities. 

Overall, the two leading studies rank Idaho as 36th and 47th for pet-friendliness. Since there are only 50 states, this isn’t the best. The studies compare states by their adherence to important factors like pet-friendly accommodations, access to pet services, animal cruelty laws, and even pet-friendly outdoor space. 

Pawsafe, an animal welfare site, ranks Idaho 47th. Idaho lags behind other states mainly because of its lax animal cruelty laws related to abuse, neglect, fighting, or pet care standards.

Safewise, a safety review site, ranked Idaho a little bit higher as the 36th most pet-friendly state in the country. Combining these two studies together puts Idaho towards the middle of the pack of pet-friendly states. 

Room to grow!

Are cities in Idaho pet-friendly?

Wallethub is a finance site, but they also publish a fantastic review scoring the 100 biggest cities in the U.S. on their friendliness to pets.

Boise

Boise is both Idaho’s capital and largest city, with a population of about a quarter-million. Wallethub’s study ranks Boise in the 13th position for pet-friendly cities in the U.S. Boise scored 38th in pet budget, 48th in pet health and wellness, and 12th in outdoor pet-friendliness.

Best of all? Boise scored as number one for dog parks in a survey by the Trust for Public Land. The city has 5.7 dog parks per 100,000 people.

A few more facts for dog-lovers in Idaho

BringFido lists Idaho as a pet-friendly travel destination with over 1,200 verified pet-friendly hotels and motels.

Thirty-three percent of Idaho residents own a dog, which is slightly below the national dog ownership rate of 40%. 

What kinds of dogs do Idaho residents love? According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the most popular dogs in Idaho are Labradors, German Shepherds, and Retrievers. Other popular breeds include Huskies, Basset Hounds, and Beagles. 

Animal welfare & dog shelters in Idaho

Idaho saved 29,564 dogs and cats during 2020. However, 1,728 animals were reported killed over this same period. 

Twenty-one out of 33 of the animal shelters within Idaho are no-kill shelters, which is higher than many other states. Idaho also has an average save rate of 86%. This is below the 90% mark needed to be considered a no-kill state, but not too far off.