Puppies for Sale in Virginia, VA

If you’re looking to adopt a pup in Virginia, we have good news for you – the state stacks up well in terms of pet safety and dog-friendly establishments.

Pawsafe ranked Virginia the 7th most pet-friendly state in the country. The site conducts research into factors like animal cruelty laws, pet-friendly accommodations, and the number of dog parks and hiking trails. 

They found that Virginia has 728 pet-friendly accommodations and 180 restaurants, along with 357 unique attractions for visiting pets. In the same study, the state ranked 14th for pet services and 15th for pet-friendly accommodations. The state also ranked 12th for pet-friendly trails.

Safewise, another great research site, conducted a similar study that ranked Virginia 20th for pet-friendliness. One of the state’s strengths is its animal cruelty laws. The majority of these laws are related to abuse, neglect, fighting, or pet care standards.

How pet-friendly are cities in Virginia?

Arlington

SmartAsset reviewed the 100 largest cities in the country to rank them by pet-friendliness. In their study, Arlington was ranked quite high at 13th. The city has 12 dog-friendly shopping centers and a high number of parks, with 3.5 per 100,000 residents.

Chesapeake

WalletHub also ranks the country’s biggest cities for their pet accomodations. In it, Chesapeake ranks 48th for pet-friendliness. Specifically, it ranks 21st for outdoor pet-friendliness, 81st for health and wellness, and 58th for pet budget.

The city of Chesapeake also has the 20th highest dog parks per capita, with 2 per 100,000 residents.

Virginia Beach and Norfolk

A few other Virginia cities made it lower on the list. Virginia Beach is ranked 60th, and Norfolk is ranked 92nd.

However, a Trust for Public Land (TPL) study shows that Norfolk has the 4th highest number of dog parks per capita, with 4.8 dog parks per 100,000 residents. 

A few more stats for Virginia’s pets

Only 35% of Virginia residents own a dog. This is below the national average of 40%. 

According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the most popular dogs in Virginia are German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, and Beagles. The official state dog is the American Foxhound. In the Arlington area, the most popular dogs are Labs, Golden Retrievers, French Bulldogs, Bulldogs, and Poodles.

Animal welfare & dog shelters in Virginia

Virginia is average when it comes to animal welfare and saving lives. The state saved 96,044 dogs and cats during 2020. Approximately 7 were killed during the same period. Out of 151 animal shelters, 93 have a no-kill policy. The overall save rate for the state is just below 85%. With that, Virginia has some work to reach 90% to become a no-kill state. We hope to see continuous improvement in this area!