It’s increasingly common for people to consider dogs part of their family. In fact, 53% of British consider their pets as their children, while 70% of Canadian pet owners and 97% of U.S. pet owners see them as part of the family. Yet pets remain an afterthought in urban planning, creating significant challenges for both pet owners and non-owners in our communities.
Our cities are fundamentally built for humans, not animals, leading to numerous inequities that affect public safety, community health, and economic vitality. Addressing these gaps isn’t just about animal welfare—it’s about creating more inclusive, sustainable, and economically vibrant communities.
What specific inequities do pets face in urban environments?
Housing discrimination represents one of the most significant challenges. In the U.S., only 8% of rental properties are free of breed, weight, and quantity restrictions. Pet-friendly housing remains critically scarce across most urban areas, and apartment buildings rarely consider pets’ spatial and behavioral needs.
Public space design further compounds these issues. Many cities lack adequate off-leash areas and dog-friendly spaces. Insufficient dog parks lead irresponsible owners into wildlife protection areas, while others let their dogs off leash in dense walkways, causing frustration among pedestrians. Road traffic accidents also remain common—one study in India found that stray dogs make up 69% of road traffic accidents involving animals, while research in the UK found that 4 out of every 1,000 dogs will be involved in a road traffic accident.
Transportation barriers create additional hardships. Dogs are prohibited on most public transport systems, forcing pet owners to rely on cars. Approximately 60% of car-free households report delayed veterinary care due to transportation limitations, while over 20% of pet owners would consider giving up their car if public transport allowed pets.
Legal ambiguity creates confusion throughout the system. Laws around where dogs can and cannot go are often unclear, sometimes blocking even service dogs from accompanying their owners. In most countries, dogs are legally considered property, making certain animal abuse prosecutions difficult, and inconsistent enforcement creates confusion for owners and officials alike.
How do pet-friendly policies benefit the broader community?
Pet-friendly policies strengthen community bonds through increased social interaction. Research demonstrates that pet ownership significantly correlates with higher social capital levels. Dog walking builds community connections, making neighborhoods safer and more cohesive by encouraging regular interaction between residents.
Economic growth follows naturally from pet-friendly initiatives. 74% of cities in Mars’ Certified Cities survey identified pet-friendly businesses as a high or emerging need. Pet tourism alone is projected to grow from $2.6 billion in 2025 to $5.3 billion by 2034. With 78% of American pet owners taking holidays with their pets every year, this represents significant economic opportunity for forward-thinking municipalities.
Pet-friendly public transport policies create measurable benefits for reducing car dependency. Over 10% of surveyed residents in Sydney indicated that they would use public transport more frequently if it accommodated pets, directly supporting sustainability goals and reducing traffic congestion.
What does a truly equitable pet-friendly city look like?
A pet-inclusive city satisfies the five key welfare needs of nutrition, environment, health, behavior, and mental state. This means creating safe environments where dogs can display natural behaviors like play, exploration, and socialization while ensuring owners can access essential services without barriers.
Mars Petcare’s Better Cities for Pets initiative provides a four-pillar framework encompassing shelters, homes, parks, and businesses. This framework also encompasses 12 key focus areas, including community cat programs, pet-friendly housing, and green spaces for pets. Through this framework, Mars envisioned responsible pet ownership as well as healthy pets and people.
However, true equity also explicitly considers non-owners’ needs, including those with allergies, fears, or young children. A genuinely equitable city ensures these residents have options to avoid animals as pet access expands, creating inclusive solutions that work for everyone in the community.
What should be done to build an equitable city?
More Resources
Animal Bylaws & Polices
- 4 Important Watchouts for Planning Pet-Friendly Places and Spaces
- Model Animal Responsibility Bylaws by BC SPCA
- Pets on Patios Toolkit
- Pet-Friendly Housing Toolkit
- Signage for Pet-Friendly Places Toolkit
Rewards for Pet Licensing
- Pet Rewards (London, Ontario, Canada)
Long-Term Strategic Planning
Forming A Dog Strategy
Creating a municipal dog strategy provides the foundation for long-term success. Cities like New Westminster have developed ten-year frameworks such as “People, Parks + Pups” that guide planning, design, and management of pet-friendly spaces. Comprehensive strategies should address licensing and registration systems, leashing bylaws and enforcement, public education campaigns, and ongoing community consultation.
Cities with a free-roaming animal challenge should also consider signing ICAM’s Positive Cities Pledge, which demonstrates a commitment to humane dog and cat population management.
Addressing Animal Welfare Deserts
Addressing animal welfare deserts represents a critical component of comprehensive pet policy. Animal welfare deserts are areas where residents lack access to essential services like veterinary care, spaying and neutering clinics, pet food banks, and humane education programs. These gaps disproportionately affect low-income neighborhoods and can lead to public health issues, increased stray populations, and higher rates of animal surrender. Cities can work strategically with animal welfare organizations to eliminate these service gaps by offering targeted incentives such as rental rebates or tax breaks for veterinary professionals who establish practices in underserved areas, partnering with mobile clinic programs to provide rotating services, and supporting community-based pet food assistance programs.
Thinking Big: Nature-Based Solutions
Implementing nature-based solutions represents a more ambitious approach. Cities can study innovative initiatives like the EU Horizon 2020 project in Lucca, Italy, which became Europe’s first human-animal smart city. This approach creates animal-accessible paths, integrated public spaces, and promotes inclusive health and wellbeing for both humans and pets.
What resources are available to help cities get started?
How can dog welfare organizations effectively advocate for change?
Building coalitions creates the foundation for successful advocacy. Effective change requires dog welfare organizations, animal shelters, and grassroots dog owner organizations working together toward common goals. This unified approach demonstrates broad community support and brings together diverse expertise and resources.
Focusing on education helps build public support while addressing legitimate concerns. Dog welfare organizations must prioritize educating dog owners about responsible ownership, creating respectful relationships between owners and non-owners that benefit entire communities. This educational approach helps prevent problems before they occur and builds trust with skeptical community members.
Presenting evidence-based arguments proves more effective than emotional appeals alone. Advocates should use data and research to demonstrate the economic, social, and public health benefits of pet-friendly policies. This approach helps city officials make informed decisions and provides ammunition for defending policies against opposition.
Why is there urgency for building pet-friendly cities?
As urban populations grow and pet ownership continues increasing, the gap between community needs and available infrastructure widens. Cities that proactively address these challenges position themselves to attract and retain residents and businesses, build stronger and more resilient communities, meet sustainability and public health goals, and manage animal welfare challenges effectively.
The cost of inaction, measured in terms of public safety incidents, community division, and missed economic opportunities, far exceeds the investment required for thoughtful, inclusive planning. Cities that wait to address these issues will find themselves playing catch-up while dealing with more entrenched problems and higher costs.
What’s the first step for getting started?
City officials should begin by conducting a comprehensive audit of current pet-related policies and infrastructure, surveying residents to understand both pet owner and non-owner needs, researching successful initiatives in comparable communities, and identifying potential pilot program opportunities that can demonstrate quick wins.
Dog welfare advocates should start by building relationships with like-minded organizations and community members, gathering data on local challenges and opportunities, developing evidence-based proposals for specific and achievable changes, and engaging constructively with city officials and community stakeholders.
The path to more equitable cities requires collaboration, patience, and commitment to serving all community members, both human and animal. With the right approach and resources, every city can become more inclusive and thriving for all its residents.