No 'Paws' About These VA Towns Being Named Best Dog Park Cities

VIRGINIA — Dog lovers could "paw-sibly" have a "wagging" good time at Virginia's best dog park cities.

Dog owners can unleash their energy in Arlington as it has been deemed one of the best places nationwide for dog parks by LawnStarter.

The lawn care blog released its latest ranking Monday, positioning Arlington at No. 6 for 2024's Best Dog Park Cities.

The fetching town was sandwiched between No. 5 Tampa, Florida and No. 7 Albuequerque, New Mexico. LawnStarter gave Arlington an overall score of 54.54. Idaho's Boise City reigned supreme in the No. 1 spot.

Other Virginia towns featured on the list of 101 cities were Norfolk (No. 14), Virginia Beach (No. 34), Chesapeake (No. 84) and Richmond (No. 88).

The breakdown of Arlington's full score is as follows:

• Overall Score: 54.54
• Access Rank: 6
• Quality Rank: 12
• Climate Rank: 65

In Virginia, dog parks include those in Alexandria, Hampton, Virginia Beach, Arlington and Williamsburg.

LawnStarter conducted the ranking to observe National Lost Pet Prevention Month, held annually in July. Access to dog parks per 100,000 human residents, number of top-rated dog parks (4.5+ bones) and weather conditions helped determine placements for each city on the list.

Nationally, West Coast towns dominated the top 10 while some southern and East Coast cities did not fare so well. For instance, San Francisco, California, was second best while Newark New Jersey rounded out the list in last place.

Here are the top 10 towns for 2024 Best Dog Park Cities:

1. Boise City, Idaho
2. San Francisco, California
3. Portland, Oregon
4. Henderson, Nevada
5. Tampa, Florida
6. Arlington, Virginia
7. Albuquerque, New Mexico
8. New York, New York
9. Las Vegas, Nevada
10. Sacramento, California

See the full methodology used here.