A new study has ranked San Diego as the fourth most dog-friendly city in the U.S.

The website SmartAsset looked at data from 100 cities to determine dog accessibility and quality of life for pet owners. Factors include the number of dog parks, dog-friendly shopping areas, walkability and housing costs.

With 187 local restaurants listed on BringFido.com as places where pet owners can bring their pooches, San Diego topped the survey's list of cities with the most dog-friendly eateries.

Overall, San Diego ranks behind San Francisco, Las Vegas and Denver as the best city for dog owners.

Still, housing issues may make it a challenge to own a pet in the city.

“Although San Diego is a very pet-friendly city, housing has not always kept up with that,” said Stacey Zeitlin of the San Diego Humane Society. “Housing can be expensive and there are often breed restrictions that make it a challenge for pet owners to find appropriate housing with their pets.”

For those looking for a furry companion, Zeitlib strongly recommends visiting local shelters.

“By adopting an animal from a shelter, community members support [a] commitment to help all healthy and treatable animals find homes and create space in the animal welfare organizations so that they can help even more animals,” she said.

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