We always talk 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 noted that the Garden State has more than 2,000 dog-friendly facilities, more than 1,700 dog-friendly restaurants, and nearly 400 dog-friendly hotels. More and more people are also taking their pups everywhere with them, from department stores, pharmacies, boutiques, public transportation and more, so we’d say they’ve probably got it pretty good.
Why has New Jersey’s culture seemingly transformed to mimic that of Paris, a place that’s become known as one of the world’s most dog-friendly cities? Some say we have the pandemic to thank.
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“The trend of people bringing their pets to places and businesses that are accommodating has been a thing for almost the last decade,” says Erin Ballinger, destinations editor at BringFido — a platform that spotlights pet-friendly places around the world. “It started out as a slow trickle, and it seems like the pandemic has really fueled that pet-friendly desire in people.”
About 23 million, or one in five, U.S. households adopted a pet during the pandemic, according to a 2021 survey by the ASPCA. Ballinger said people got used to spending so much time with their pets during the pandemic that they wanted to continue spending time with them in the outside world.
Additionally, she said, the pandemic has forced many owners to rethink their interactions with the public to keep their businesses afloat, resulting in many places becoming dog-friendly.
For example, many restaurants have created outdoor spaces to accommodate guests during this time. And today, most of these spaces are still open as dog-friendly options for people who want to bring their pets.
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Alexis Walling is the co-founder of Doggie Road Trippin’ , an Instagram account dedicated to spotlighting dog-friendly businesses and events in 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 shortly afterward as a way for her and her friends to showcase their adventures to different pet-friendly destinations.
“I feel like he’s part of my family, so why would I leave him? Since COVID, I’ve been seeing more dogs walking around. I think more businesses are realizing that if they let people bring their dogs, they’re more likely to come back,” she said. “I think a lot of people are starting to see the value of being able to have an experience with their dog.”
While Walling said she agrees that dogs don’t necessarily belong everywhere, she hopes more businesses will accept people bringing their pets. She said she’s already seen businesses that wouldn’t normally allow dogs accept people who bring them.
“I haven’t written about this because we don’t know if it’s dog-friendly, but I’ve been to TJMaxx and there were dogs in people’s shopping carts,” she said. “And dogs are popping up everywhere. Even in Hoboken, I’m standing in line at the store and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s a dog in her bag.'”
Ballinger said changing household dynamics have also played a role. People who are waiting to have children, or who choose not to have children, may choose to spend their money and time experiencing the world with their pets, she said.
Additionally, she said retirees, as well as those continuing to work on hybrid or remote schedules, often have the flexibility and income to travel, which is why these groups are also choosing to bring their pets with them.
Lori Kogan, chair of the American Psychological Association’s Division of Human-Animal Interaction and a professor at Colorado State University, said it’s becoming more common for people to consider their dogs family.
“People want to involve their dogs. They don’t want to leave them at home,” she said. “There’s a growing awareness that leaving your dog at home all day is not the best environment for them. I think people are becoming more sensitive to that and want their dog to be involved in activities with them. They just want to spend time with their dog and improve their dog’s well-being.”
Not everyone agrees, however, that more people are taking their pups into public places. The r/Dogfree subreddit has 66,000 members who don’t like or own dogs, and the page is dedicated to discussing how current dog ownership is affecting society.
“I have a really bad allergy to animals. I try my best to avoid going to houses with pets. But can’t I go to a grocery store? Hotel? Even if I just go shopping in a regular store, there’s always a dog,” Reddit user TaperInARushingWind said in a post.
In another post, user Electrical_Key2949 said that because they are afraid of dogs, they will do everything they can to ensure that dog owners are not bothered by their discomfort in certain scenarios, such as when they are walking outside. But they said that it is unfair that they are made to feel uncomfortable in other public places where animals are not normally supposed to be.
“My issue is that people are repeatedly taking dogs to places where non-essential service animals are not allowed. I’m talking about my workplace, the mall, children’s parks, the jewelry store, and when I was in high school, there too,” they wrote.
While there are no state laws prohibiting animals from entering New Jersey businesses — with the exception of those that serve food — business owners have the right to ban pets from their premises as long as they are not registered service animals. However, these policies are not always enforced.
“I definitely hope that more businesses will be more 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 places, but we’d like to see more.”
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering everything worth celebrating about life in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayyand sign up for her North Jersey living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or awesome house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ is getting more dog-friendly than ever. Here’s why
