Massachusetts Among the Best States to Adopt a Dog

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After the way the Celtics and Bruins finished their seasons, Massachusetts sports betting fans needed a best friend, so it’s no surprise many of them turned to dogs.

Because of that need for companionship when things get tough, BetMassachusetts.com decided to look into the states with the most dog rescues per square mile.

We used data from RescueMe.org to find the number of dog rescue groups and adoption agencies in every state. Then, we ranked each state by how many rescue organizations they had per square mile.

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States with Most Dog Rescues per Square Mile

Here is a cultural story with statistics you won’t find on any Massachusetts sports betting apps.
 

Rank State # Dog Rescue Groups Rescues per Sq. Mile
1 Rhode Island 92 0.059551165
2 Connecticut 245 0.044196623
3 New Jersey 348 0.039896453
4 Delaware 86 0.034555916
5 Maryland 258 0.020796506
6 Massachusetts 167 0.01528228
7 New Hampshire 109 0.011658801
8 Florida 623 0.009445634
9 Pennsylvania 435 0.009445364
10 Vermont 83 0.008631124
11 North Carolina 458 0.00850998
12 Ohio 367 0.008187289
13 Tennessee 344 0.008162442
14 Virginia 347 0.008112228
15 Georgia 451 0.007589252
16 New York 405 0.007423704
17 South Carolina 234 0.007307821
18 Indiana 257 0.00705665
19 California 915 0.005589673
20 Alabama 275 0.005246082
21 Kentucky 192 0.004787099
22 Illinois 269 0.004644854
23 West Virginia 112 0.004622361
24 Texas 1030 0.003834749
25 Arizona 420 0.003684524

 

Looking at the States at Top

Rhode Island came in first but it’s little, like the Chihuahua of states. Massachusetts came in a very respectable sixth place.

According to pawlicy.com, almost 29% of Massachusetts residents own a dog – only 23.5% own cats. In the Boston area, dog ownership is about 26%. Massachusetts dog-lovers can only legally own four canines before they’re forced to get a kennel license. The average Massachusetts dog owner owns 1.4 dogs.

Rover.com says that the best way for Massachusetts residents to adopt a dog is to start locally. The site offers a list of high-rate shelters across the Bay State, or it recommends searching online for “[your city] dog rescue.” Other options are websites like Petfinder.com and Adopt-A-Pet.com, which collect listings from various shelters.

The best time to look to adopt is in the spring and summer because rescue shelters tend to have more dogs then. Although you might be overwhelmed by a particular rescue’s puppy dog eyes, it’s smart to have a good idea going in whether you’re more of a big dog person or a little dog person. If you live in a Boston studio apartment, you probably should be a little dog person. Or perhaps consider fish.

Rescue dogs should be spayed/neutered and most shelters will perform that service before putting the dog up for adoption. But not always.

The cost of adopting a dog in Massachusetts can range from around $150 to close to $500, depending on the shelter and the dog. The adoption fees help keep the shelters running.

Like most states, Massachusetts’ favorite breed of dogs are Labradors, followed by German shepherds and Golden retrievers. For some reason, in the big city they’re also fond of Boston terriers.

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Author

Jeff Parker

Jeff Parker is an entertainment writer for BetMassachusetts.com. A writer for film, television and the internet, Jeff is a life long movie buff, with a Masters Degree in Popular Culture. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he works full time as documentary filmmaker and producer.

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