Head of the Pack: Denver Is the Emerging Dog-Friendly City of 2021

With nearby mountain trails and plenty of spots for pup pals to play, it's no secret: Denver has long been a dog-lover's paradise.

What residents already knew about the dog-friendliness of the city was confirmed in a recent report released by Zillow and Rover, which ranks Denver as the top emerging dog-friendly city of 2021.

So how did we find ourselves top dog? Zillow, an online real-estate marketplace, teamed up with Rover, an online dog-services marketplace. While Zillow tracked which cities had experienced the fastest growth in advertised dog-friendly home amenities, Rover dug up how many new dog accounts had been created.

Other cities in the top three include Orlando, Florida, and Anaheim, California.

Dog ownership plays a big role in housing decisions, according to Zillow. The same report found that 62 percent of dog owners said they would think about moving for their dog, and 86 percent of respondents said that pet-friendly perks were a big factor in determining where to live.

Amenities like dog doors and fenced-in yards are important for dog owners when they're on the hunt for new homes. Indeed, a Zillow report on 1.4 million home sales in 2020 showed that on average, homes sold five days faster when they included a fenced-in yard. And houses that included dog houses proved to be a real treat, selling 3 percent higher than their expected price.

With an abundance of dog parks in the city and trails for crunchy dogs to hike within a half-hour radius, Denver is the place to be for enterprising, social dogs on the lookout for friends and a good life...and nightlife, too. On weekends, pups can visit specialty dog bakery Three Dog Bakery, which sells baked goods made with natural ingredients, and plenty of bars and breweries that boast dog-friendly outdoor patios.

No wonder dogs...and owners...find D-town so fetching.