Adopt A Dog In NY – Where Does The State Rank?

Is New York Among Best States to Adopt a Dog?

July 24, 2023 10:32am

Fact Checked by Pat McLoone

Because it’s stray season around the country – that time when people find abandoned dogs out and about – we decided to look into the best states to adopt a dog.

EmpireStakes.com took a break from covering New York sports betting and used data from RescueMe.org to find the number of dog rescue groups and adoption agencies in every state. Then, we ranked each state by how many rescue organizations they had per square mile.

State with Most Dog Rescues per Square Mile

Here is a cultural story with statistics you won’t find on any New York betting apps.

Rank	State	# Dog Rescue Groups	Rescues per Sq. Mile
1	Rhode Island	92	0.059551165
2	Connecticut	245	0.044196623
3	New Jersey	348	0.039896453
4	Delaware	86	0.034555916
5	Maryland	258	0.020796506
6	Massachusetts	167	0.01528228
7	New Hampshire	109	0.011658801
8	Florida	623	0.009445634
9	Pennsylvania	435	0.009445364
10	Vermont	83	0.008631124
11	North Carolina	458	0.00850998
12	Ohio	367	0.008187289
13	Tennessee	344	0.008162442
14	Virginia	347	0.008112228
15	Georgia	451	0.007589252
16	New York	405	0.007423704
17	South Carolina	234	0.007307821
18	Indiana	257	0.00705665
19	California	915	0.005589673
20	Alabama	275	0.005246082
21	Kentucky	192	0.004787099
22	Illinois	269	0.004644854
23	West Virginia	112	0.004622361
24	Texas	1030	0.003834749
25	Arizona	420	0.003684524

How New York Fared in Rankings

New York came in 16^th, in part because of the population density of New York City.

That’s not to say that city folk don’t like their dogs, they do. But across the entire state, 27% of residents own dogs, and in the five boroughs that number drops almost in half. But with one in seven houses and apartments having licensed dogs as residents, that’s still about 425,000 dogs. Being New York, you can be sure there are also a lot of unlicensed dogs.

And there are dogs throughout the city and state’s shelters waiting for a forever home. One NYC shelter claims to take in 100 dogs a day. While the state has no breed restrictions, if you live in a building owned by the New York City Housing Association, no Doberman pinschers, pit bulls or Rottweilers for you. And no pup over 25 pounds. All shelter dogs in New York are spayed/neutered and vaccinated. A quick visit to the vet for a fuller check-up is recommended.

Adopting a dog in New York can cost between $75 and $250. And if you want to wait until fall, October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.

Like most states, New York’s favorite breed is the Labrador, followed by German shepherds and Golden retrievers. In New York City, the French poodle is popular.

Author

Howard Gensler

Howard Gensler is a veteran journalist who’s worked at the Philadelphia Daily News, TV Guide and the Philadelphia Inquirer and is a founding editor of bettorsinsider.com.

Is New York Among Best States to Adopt a Dog?

State with Most Dog Rescues per Square Mile

How New York Fared in Rankings

References