Puppies for Sale in Tennessee, TN

The state has some strong pros and strong cons when it comes to pet safety and dog-friendliness. In fact, different studies come to very different conclusions about Tennessee. Some of that is related to the fact that Tennessee lags behind other states when it comes to its animal welfare laws related to abuse, neglect, fighting, or pet care standards.

One leading study was conducted by the animal advocacy group Pawsafe. Their study ranks all 50 states according to several key criteria, including animal cruelty laws, pet-friendly accommodations, pet services, and the number of dog parks and hiking trails.

Pawsafe ranked Tennessee fairly low – as the 36th most pet-friendly state. 

However, another reputable study, conducted by the safety review site Safewise ranked Tennessee as the 9th most pet-friendly state. This is in part because of a few cities that have great standards for dog living. 

Combining these two studies together puts Tennessee somewhere in the middle of the pack of pet-friendly states.

Are cities in Tennessee pet-friendly?

Financial services site Wallethub reviewed the 100 largest cities in the country to rank them by pet-friendliness. Here’s how a couple of Tennessee cities fared.

Nashville

Nashville ranked 34th overall, placing 11th in pet budget, 62nd in pet health and wellness, and 75th in outdoor pet-friendliness. 

In a separate ranking by the Trust for Public Land (TPL), Nashville ranked in the 40th spot for dog parks per capita with 1.2 dog parks per 100,000 people. 

Memphis

Memphis also scored well at 47th in pet-friendliness overall.

A few more facts for dog-lovers in Tennessee

BringFido lists Tennessee as a pet-friendly travel destination with over 3700 verified pet-friendly hotels and motels.

Forty-seven percent of Tennessee residents own a dog, which is comfortably above the national dog ownership rate of 40%. 

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

Animal welfare & dog shelters in Tennessee

Tennessee saved 90,054 dogs and cats during 2020. Approximately 829 animals were killed over this same period.  

Fifty-four out of 101 of the animal shelters within Tennessee are no-kill shelters. The percentage of no-kill shelters is average, but the state has an above-average save rate of 87%. This is just short of the 90% mark needed to be considered a no-kill state.