It’s pretty easy to find pet-friendly cities throughout the US but as SmartAsset points out, “Southern cities rank towards the bottom.”

But if you start looking state-by-state, you find that Texas is full of cities that are perfectly suitable for your four-legged friends. And of the many cities in Texas, a few stand out as truly great places to own a pup.

In order to identify the best, we looked at a variety of different ranking factors including ease of ownership, Pet Budget Rank, weather, health access, the number of parks and more.

You can find a breakdown of each data point and its source in the Methodology section.

So if you’re looking to move to Texas and have a dog, be sure to consider these cities.

7. Irving

Dog Score: 63

• Zumper Pet Apartments: 20
• Pet Budget Rank: 66
• Outdoor Pet Friendliness Rank: 82
• Play Score: 18.4
• Pet Health and Wellness Rank: 56
• Ease of Owning a Pet Score: 20
• Average Rent: $1,152

We start out our countdown with Irving, which falls among the top 50% of Texas cities ranked among the best for pets in the country. A fairly high percentage of pet-friendly apartments along with the wonderful Irving Dog Park and the city’s great Parks Department are just a few of the city’s pup-friendly highlights.

6. San Antonio

Dog Score: 65.46

• Zumper Pet Apartments: 22.5
• Pet Budget Rank: 14
• Outdoor Pet Friendliness Rank: 96
• Play Score: 13.125
• Pet Health and Wellness Rank: 80
• Ease of Owning a Pet Score: 15
• Average Rent: $1,068

San Antonio lands at #6 on our list, sporting the highest Pet Budget ranking of the Texas cities considered. Here, you’ll also find a good selection of dog parks and a pretty high percentage of pet-friendly apartments.

5. Lubbock

Dog Score: 65.71

• Zumper Pet Apartments: 5
• Pet Budget Rank: 24
• Outdoor Pet Friendliness Rank: 86
• Play Score: 8.75
• Pet Health and Wellness Rank: 42
• Ease of Owning a Pet Score: 23
• Average Rent: $765

Starting our top 5, Lubbock has generally good stats when it comes to pet-friendliness, but it’s high particularly high ease of owning a pet score is what gives it a leg up on the competition. And, while there are some private options, Lubbock is in the process of securing the funds for a public dog park!

4. Corpus Christi

Dog Score: 66.61

• Zumper Pet Apartments: 17.5
• Pet Budget Rank: 30
• Outdoor Pet Friendliness Rank: 93
• Play Score: 12.25
• Pet Health and Wellness Rank: 54
• Ease of Owning a Pet Score: 19
• Average Rent: $955

Corpus Christi continues the run of all-around dog-friendly cities with its fairly high Pet Budget rank and its moderate average rent. The city is also in the process of constructing a Bayfront public dog park that’s been completely privately funded.

3. Garland

Dog Score: 66.97

• Zumper Pet Apartments: 15
• Pet Budget Rank: 47
• Outdoor Pet Friendliness Rank: 72
• Play Score: 13.125
• Pet Health and Wellness Rank: 52
• Ease of Owning a Pet Score: 11
• Average Rent: $825

With Garland, no one specific stat stands above the rest, but every component of the city’s pet-friendliness raises it above almost everyone else. And beyond the well-rounded livability for pet owners, Garland is working towards completing construction of its first public dog park which should be completed by late 2017.

2. Austin

Dog Score: 75.05

• Zumper Pet Apartments: 25
• Pet Budget Rank: 46
• Outdoor Pet Friendliness Rank: 79
• Play Score: 21
• Pet Health and Wellness Rank: 9
• Ease of Owning a Pet Score: 27
• Average Rent: $1,405

While Austin might have some of the highest rent on the list, it’s the best city for pet-friendly apartments, dog parks, and pet health and wellness. In fact, Austin has enough off-leash dog parks to justify a map be hosted on the city’s website.

1. Plano

Dog Score: 80.99

• Zumper Pet Apartment Score: 22.5
• Pet Budget Rank: 55
• Outdoor Pet Friendliness Rank: 24
• Play Score: 13.1
• Pet Health and Wellness Rank: 13
• Ease of Owning a Pet Score: 26
• Average Rent: $1,163

And finally, Plano gets our top spot with the highest Outdoor Pet Friendliness rank, and very high Health & Wellness and Ease of Owning a Pet scores. Plano also offers a wide selection of off-leash dog parks including the wonderful Jack Carter Dog Park.

Methodology

• Zumper Pet Apartment (Weight – 15%): Percentage of Zumper listings in each city that are pet-friendly. (Zumper)
• Pet Budget Rank (Weight – 15%): National ranking for veterinary, pet insurance, and general pet-care costs. (WalletHub)

Outdoor Pet Friendliness (Weight – 20%): Takes into account weather, walkability, and availability of dog parks. (WalletHub)

• Play Score (Weight – 10%): Is based on the density of dog parks per capita and the percentage of the city devoted to parklands. (Zumper)
• Pet Health and Wellness Rank (Weight – 15%): Accounts for the number of veterinarians, pet-supply stores, and animal shelters available. (WalletHub)
• Ease of Owning a Pet (Weight – 10%): Is a reflection of the density of pet-friendly businesses, pet-oriented stores, and veterinary offices. (Zumper)
• Average Rent (Weight – 15%): Because you’ll need to afford your own housing before you can take care of a living creature. (RentJungle)

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