New study says New Jerseyans are NOT dog lovers

It sounds crazy, right? Doesn't everyone love dogs? As it turns out, apparently not in New Jersey.

In a new study done by OurFitPets.com New Jersey ranked 47th out of the 50 states in terms of being dog lovers. So not only were we in the bottom 10, we were in the back end of that too.

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OK, so what was the study based on?

Experts at OurFitPets.com analyzed several factors to uncover which states are most obsessed with their canine companion. Per 100,000 residents, they looked at the number of monthly Google searches for ‘dog grooming’ and ‘dog toys,’ the number of dog parks, the number of dog owners as well as the number of dog-friendly long-term home rentals. Each state was awarded a total score out of 50, with the highest-ranking state earning the title of ‘the most dog-loving state.’

So what did New Jersey rank in these categories?

For the number of monthly searches for 'dog grooming' and 'dog toys' New Jersey had 94.1 per 100k residents. Nearly 100 less than the top state (Georgia) who had 186.2 searches.

What percentage of NJ residents own a dog?

29.1% of New Jerseyans own a furry friend. The state that had the highest dog-owning percentage was Idaho at 58.3%. Over half of their population owns a dog! Do they feed it potatoes too? OK, bad joke. Sorry Idaho.

How do we fair with dog parks?

Per 100k residents, we have 1.34 dog parks. I can name a few of them in my neck of the woods, so the rest of New Jersey must be slacking in this area.

Dog-friendly rentals?

We've got 9.57 dog-friendly rentals per 100k residents. I've never personally needed this but I know those who have. We're WAY behind the top state in this category (Florida) who had a whopping 54.28 dog-friendly rentals.

So, what was our total score?

Drum roll please........ our final score was a 19.2. This was 20 behind Georgia for first place.

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Ok, but how was the final score calculated?

According to OurFitPets:

"Each state was evaluated on a score out of 50 points based on key metrics. Up to 10 points were awarded for: Google searches for “dog grooming” and “dog toys,” dog owners per 100k residents, dog parks per capita, and dog-friendly long-term home rentals listed on Zillow. The metric for dog owners per capita was weighted 2x for its importance, giving the metric a maximum score of 20. Each metric score was tallied up to reveal an overall winner."

While we definitely have our fair share of dog owners here in Jersey, we clearly just don't stack up great compared to the rest of the U.S.

The only states that scored worse than us were Connecticut, New Hampshire and Hawaii. At least we love our furry companions more than them!

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To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kyle Clark. Any opinions expressed are his own.

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