We’re always talking about what life is like for us in New Jersey. But have we thought about what life is like for our dogs?
New Jersey was recently named the eighth most dog-friendly state in 2024 by Showsight Magazine, an award-winning publication that has been following the dog show community since 1992. The publication cited that the Garden State has more than 2,000 dog-friendly facilities, over 1,700 dog-friendly restaurants and nearly 400 dog-friendly hotels. More and more people have also been bringing their pups everywhere else, from department stores, pharmacies, boutiques, public transportation and more, so we’d say they’re probably living pretty good.
Why has New Jersey’s culture seemingly transformed to mimic that of Paris, a place that has become known as one of the most dog-friendly cities in the world? Some say that we have the pandemic to thank for that.
More: 27 dog-friendly breweries, bars and restaurants in North Jersey
“The trend of people bringing their pets places and businesses being accommodating has really been a thing for almost the last decade now,” said Erin Ballinger, destinations editor at BringFido — a platform that highlights pet-friendly places across the globe. “It was slowly trickling and it seems that the pandemic really boosted that pet-friendly desire for people.”
About 23 million, or one in five, American households adopted a pet during the pandemic, according to a 2021 survey from the ASPCA. Ballinger said people became used to spending so much time with their pets during the pandemic that they’ve wanted to continue spending time with them in the outside world.
Plus, she said the pandemic forced a lot of owners to reconsider how they interact with the public to stay in business, which resulted in a lot of places becoming dog-friendly.
For example, many restaurants created outdoor dining spaces to accommodate guests during this time. And today, most of these spaces have remained opened as dog-friendly options for the people who want to bring their pets with them.
More: Keep Fido feeling fresh at these 15 luxury dog salons and stores in North Jersey
Alexis Walling is the co-founder of Doggie Road Trippin’, an Instagram account dedicated to highlighting dog-friendly businesses and events across the Northeast. Walling, who lives in Hoboken, said she adopted her first pet — an English Bulldog named Buckley — during the pandemic. She created the account soon after as a way for her and her friends to showcase their adventures to different pet-friendly destinations.
“I feel like he’s a part of my family, so why leave him behind? Since COVID, I’ve noticed more dogs out and about. I think more businesses are realizing that if they let people bring their dogs, these people will likely come back again,” she said. “I think a lot of people are starting to see the value in being able to have an experience with their dog.”
While Walling said that she agrees that dogs don’t necessarily belong everywhere, she hopes that more businesses become accepting of people bringing their pets. She said she’s already seen businesses that typically wouldn’t allow dogs become more accepting of people bringing them in.
“I haven’t written about this because we’re not sure if it is dog-friendly, but I’ve gone to TJMaxx and dogs have been in people’s shopping carts,” she said. “And dogs are popping up everywhere. Even in Hoboken, I’ll be standing in line at the store and I’ll be like, ‘Oh my god, there’s a dog in her purse.'”
Ballinger said that changing household dynamics have also played a role in this. For people waiting to have children, or those who choose to not have children, she said they may opt to spend their money and time experiencing the world with their pets.
In addition to this, she said that retirees, as well as those who continue to work on hybrid or remote schedules, often have the flexibility and income to travel, so those groups are also choosing to bring their pets along.
Lori Kogan, chair of the Human-Animal Interaction Section of the American Psychological Association and a professor at Colorado State University, said that overall, people viewing their dogs as family has become an increasingly accepted norm across the nation.
“People want to include their dogs. They don’t want to leave them at home,” she said. “There’s growing recognition that leaving your dog at home all day long is not the best environment for them. I think people are growing more sensitive to that and want their dogs to be engaged in activities with them. They just want to spend time with their dog and want to enhance their dog’s well-being.”
Not everyone is on board with more people bringing their pups into public places, though. In fact, the r/Dogfree subreddit has 66,000 members who do not like or own dogs, and the page is dedicated to discussing how today’s dog ownership is affecting society.
“I have really bad allergies to animals. I do my part by avoiding going to homes with pets. But am I not supposed to go to a grocery store? Hotel? Even just shopping at any normal store, there is always a dog,” Reddit user TaperInARushingWind said in a post.
In another post, user Electrical_Key2949 said that because they have a fear of dogs, they’ll go out of their way to make sure dog owners aren’t inconvenienced by their discomfort in certain scenarios, such as when walking outside. But they said that it is unfair for them to feel uncomfortable in other public places where animals are typically not supposed to be.
“My issue is that people repeatedly bring dogs into places where non-essential service animals are not allowed. I’m talking my workplace, the mall, children’s parks, the jewelry store and back when I was in high school, there too,” they wrote.
While there are no statewide laws that prohibit animals from entering New Jersey businesses — with the exception of those that serve food — business owners have the right to ban pets from their establishment, as long as they are not registered service animals. These policies are not always necessarily enforced, though.
“I definitely hope to see more businesses become accepting of people bringing dogs, but of course there’s always a time and a place for it,” Walling said. “They don’t belong everywhere and you have to be respectful of certain spots, but we’d love to see more.”
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ become even more dog-friendly than ever. Here’s why
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