More than 65 million U.S. households own a dog. But for tens of millions of Americans, having a dog remains out of reach, blocked by lease restrictions, small apartments, limited park access and rising pet costs. This divide is what Windup Minds calls the “dog gap,” the difference between wanting a pet and being able to have one. Even for those who do have dogs, some cities are far more pet-friendly than others.
Independent game studio Windup Minds, creator of the PC pet simulator Stay: Your Forever Pet, released a ranking of America’s most and least dog-friendly cities. The game is designed for the millions who love dogs, but can’t have one at home, or who want a new, virtual pet to play with anytime, anywhere. Stay: Your Forever Pet is now available to wishlist on Steam Early Access.
The data highlights a stark divide in dog ownership access across U.S. cities. While some cities foster pet-friendly communities, others make it difficult to bring a dog home. Instead of giving up, people turn to alternatives: dog-sharing apps, visiting friends’ pets, or spending time at dog parks without owning a dog themselves. Stay: Your Forever Pet is the next step on that list.
Stay: Your Forever Pet offers a low-pressure, emotionally rich alternative. Players care for Ember, a virtual canine friend with lifelike behaviors, expressive animations and a personality shaped by attention and interaction. The game is built to be picked up and put down, reflecting the rhythms of real pet care.
“We’re not trying to replace real pets,” said Bernie Yee, CEO of Windup Minds. “But we know many players have always wanted a dog, and their living situation or city won’t allow it. Stay: Your Forever Pet is for them.”
America's Most Dog-Friendly Cities:
1 Scottsdale, AZ
2 Tampa, FL
3 Portland, OR
4 Austin, TX
5 Las Vegas, NV
6 Cincinnati, OH
7 Orlando, FL
8 St. Louis, MO
9 Boise, ID
10 San Diego, CA
America's Least Dog-Friendly Cities:
1 Honolulu, HI
2 New York, NY
3 Boston, MA
4 Fresno, CA
5 Stockton, CA
6 Milwaukee, WI
7 Detroit, MI
8 Durham, NC
9 Chicago, IL
10 Newark, NJ
About Stay: Your Forever Pet
In Stay: Your Forever Pet, players create a shared home with Ember, forage for resources, and encounter whimsical creatures called Mosslings in a world called the Otherlands. The game is designed to be played on your time, a few minutes here, a longer session there, in the way that caring for a real animal shapes your day.
Why These Cities and What the Data Shows
Scottsdale leads the ranking thanks to an abundance of off-leash dog parks and year-round outdoor weather that makes daily activity practical. Tampa, Portland, San Diego, Las Vegas, Orlando and Austin are also in the top tier, as cities where lower density, trail networks, and pet-friendly culture combine to create a genuinely dog-friendly environment.
At the other end, Honolulu's isolation and high housing costs create compounding difficulties: small apartments, restrictive rental rules, and limited green space in crowded neighborhoods. New York follows for similar reasons: dense housing, high costs and buildings that routinely ban pets entirely. Other cities that are among the least dog-friendly include Boston, Milwaukee, Detroit and Chicago.
Methodology
Cities were evaluated using publicly available data across six categories: dog parks per capita, walkability scores, access to trails and green space, density of pet services (veterinary care, groomers, pet supply stores), average weather suitability for outdoor activity, and local rental and housing policies affecting pet ownership. Rankings represent a composite score across all categories.
Wishlist on Steam HERE
About Windup Minds
Windup Minds is an independent game studio based in Seattle, Washington (where dogs outnumber children!), with a development team located around the world. The studio is dedicated to redefining virtual pet experiences with heart, humor, and emotional depth, drawing on diverse industry experience from beloved projects and studios. More information is available at windupminds.com.
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