Pets are part of the family, so, of course, you want to live in a place that welcomes your pup. Dog-friendly Dallas is a great choice, according to a recent study that just confirmed Riverside Homebuilders’ suspicions. Ranked by Rover in the top 20 dog-friendly cities in the U.S., Dallas is the perfect place for pups. 

Rover, an online service for seeking reliable pet care (sitting, boarding, walking) teamed up with Redfin to pinpoint the most dog-friendly cities. Rover evaluated 14,000 American metros, looking at statistics on dog walks—how many walks in total, plus the total distance and time per walk (yes, they track this!).

Then the real estate brokerage searched listings of homes for sale for the keyword “dog”. They looked for features like “dog-friendly” and “close to dog park”, among others. Next, the researchers compared the data against a city’s Walk Score, another good indicator that the area is great for walking your canine companion.

Dallas scored high across this criteria, landing in the top 20 of 2019 list of “The Best Cities for Dog Lovers”. The Walk Score of 92 indicates “Walker’s Paradise”, meaning you can easily run your errands without a car. 

Incidentally, according to the Redfin-Rover study, Labrador Retrievers are the most popular dog breed in Dallas, which is consistent with many of the cities that made the list. Mixed breed (the beloved mutt) is the second most common type of dog, a good indicator that many of these pets are rescue pups.

Yap-happy yards

Riverside Homebuilders loves dogs, too, and our big backyards are just one pet perk we offer. If you like the city but don’t want the city life that comes with it, move out to a more rural suburb where you can easily commute. We build communities of single-family homes in areas that are surrounded by wide open spaces and close to recreation. Rocky Ridge, for example, is near Eagle Mountain Lake. Colina Creek Estates in Farmersville let’s you go big when you go home. Our homesites in Colina Creek Estates start at 1 acre and are as large as 3 acres. It’s like having your own dog park, and maybe an agility course. Farmersville’s low property taxes are another benefit to living here.

Decatur is a desirable DFW suburb with many advantages. The dog-friendly downtown is a fun place to wander with your pet and you can come home to a 1-acre yard at either Singletree Estates or Hillcrest Meadows. The LBJ National Grasslands is close to both communities. With 70 miles of trails, you and your dog can get plenty of exercise here.

Zero down payment

The other advantage of living outside the city limits is the opportunity to purchase a home with no down payment! The USDA’s Single-Family Housing Loan Program provides 100% financing for a home purchase in rural and semi-rural areas. Hillcrest Meadows is one of those locations. There’s no more waiting to save up for a down payment. Pack up your pooch and get moving now, because we have move-in ready homes available right now. Forget what you’ve heard. You CAN get it all: a 1-acre yard with no money down in a dog-friendly area.

The life you’ve wanted is the life you can have here. Talk to Rachel at Riverside Homebuilders to give everyone in your family—including the 4-legged members—all the benefits of a new construction home and a big yard.