NH ranks as third-best state to own a dog

PORTSMOUTH, NH —

Customers at McGovern Subaru can do more than wait while their vehicles are getting serviced — they can give Fido a bath.

The Newington dealership provides a special room with two tubs where customers and employees can wash their dogs. Shampoos, conditioners, towels, blow dryers, and special treats are available for this unique pampering experience that provides a convenient and unexpected amenity for pet owners.

Visitors can also relax with their dogs before or after the wash in a special seating area.

“You have something to do while you wait. Sometimes we’ll have five customers a day use it, sometimes you won’t have any customers who use it, but then they might all come in on the weekend. It kind of varies,” said Ashley Lewis, who oversees community and charity outreach for the “Subaru Love Promise” program.

This unusual perk for customers with dogs that like a little primping may sound a bit over the top to some, but it’s not such a far-fetched idea in a state like New Hampshire, which was recently ranked third in the nation for the best place to own a dog.

According to research by Know Better Pet Food, a Canadian-based company that distributes its dog and cat food products in the United States, New Hampshire beat its New England neighbors in overall dog-friendliness, with Vermont coming in at No. 5 followed by Massachusetts at No. 9 and Maine at No. 10.

The only states that ranked higher than New Hampshire were North Dakota at No. 1 and Montana at No. 2.

The study examined green space per capita, veterinarian access, dog ownership rates, and pet-friendly housing in all 50 states to calculate the rankings.

Among other things, the research concluded that New Hampshire has a small-town culture that’s welcoming to pets and an active outdoor scene.

“New Hampshire is a playground for dogs who love adventure and community. They can hike trails that climb above the treeline, splash in quiet lakes, or run along off-leash beaches that feel endless. All of this is underpinned by clear guidelines for pet access from the N.H. government website. Across all seasons, dogs here get to swim, explore, parade, and play in ways that feel almost tailor-made for them. It’s rare to find a state where pets can have such a mix of adventure, freedom, and community all in one place,” Know Better Pet Food said of its dog-friendliness findings.

 

Tailswag pet boutique and treat bar in Littleton opened in 2021 to meet the needs of pet owners and now hosts Dachtoberfest, a festival for wiener dogs, in October.

Dogs as children

The study’s results didn’t surprise Paige Roberts, owner of Tailswag pet boutique and treat bar in Littleton.

With growing demand for high-quality products and supplies for owners looking to spoil their pets, the Franconia native decided to fill the void years after she was inspired while visiting a pet boutique in Boston.

“I thought to myself, ‘I wish somebody would open one of those up north.’ My second thought was, ‘I’m going to open one of those up north,’ and I held onto that idea for quite a while,” Roberts said.

She opened the store in 2021 to meet the needs of local dog owners.

“Speaking from personal experience and my own observations, a lot of people are opting not to have children or they’re waiting to have children, and they’re treating their pets like their children. I’m one of those people who treats my dog like my child and I was looking for a store like this and couldn’t find it, so I created it,” Roberts said.

Through her business, Roberts has found other dog-friendly places and has encouraged more businesses in the area to become welcoming to dogs. She now provides a free guide to Littleton that includes all the dog-friendly stores, restaurants, trails and other places where people can recreate and shop with their dog, even if they’re just visiting.

“I was pleasantly surprised when I created the dog-friendly guide how many small businesses on Main Street allowed dogs,” she said.

The store celebrated its second annual Dachtoberfest earlier this month. The Dachshund-devoted event is billed as New Hampshire’s first and only “wiener dog” festival and attracts dogs and their owners from across the state and region. The event featured a parade, the Dachtona 500, a Mini Doxie Race, and other activities. Nearly 25 vendors were also on hand selling their products geared toward dogs.

 

Torrington’s Sage Portsmouth is a new luxury condominium complex in Portsmouth with amenities that include a pet washing station and a dog park.

Dogs in the house

Meanwhile, developers are trying to meet the demand for more dog-friendly housing options.

Torrington’s Sage Portsmouth, a 95-unit luxury condominium complex located in Portsmouth Green off Route 1, took steps to ensure that its new residences would be welcoming to dogs and offer a pet-friendly experience.

In addition to popular amenities like work-from-home space, electric vehicle charging units, an entertainment lounge and fitness center, the complex offers a pet washing station and dog park.

“For us and many of our residents, pets are family,” said Torrington founder and CEO Jay Bisognano. “We designed Sage Portsmouth with that in mind. Features like the dog park and dog washing station make life more convenient and enjoyable for pet owners, and for everyone who values a welcoming, warm and well-rounded living environment.”

Shelters in the spotlight

As part of its dog-friendly efforts, McGovern Subaru held a pet adoption event recently in conjunction with the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Stratham.

Savannah Alcerro, the NHSPCA’s vice president of Animal and Veterinary Services, said the shelter is taking in more animals, but at the same time it’s seen a decrease in the length of stay.

The NHSPCA, which is the largest shelter in the state, has seen an increase in its adoptions, especially over the last few years, but Alcerro said that could be related to the higher intake numbers, which include dogs coming from other shelters in New Hampshire and overpopulated facilities in other states.

In 2024, the NHSPCA found homes for 789 dogs — up from 392 in 2015. So far this year, 636 dogs have been adopted.

While there may be efforts to provide more pet-permitted living space for renters and others, restrictions on dog breeds and sizes still pose challenges.

“Housing is one of the top three reasons I can definitively say that we see that people are surrendering their animals, whether that’s pet restrictions or breed restrictions. Even if you have pet-friendly housing, there’s still the banned breeds list that insurances won’t cover,” Alcerro said.

No shopping, please

The pet-friendly push has come with other hurdles as well, especially for restaurants and food stores.

Under state law, no animals are allowed inside restaurants or stores that sell food with the exception of service animals and a restaurant owner’s own properly disciplined companion dog. Other types of businesses can make their own decisions about allowing or prohibiting animals inside their establishments.

Kevin Daigle, president of the New Hampshire Grocers Association, said grocery stores accommodate service dogs as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, but he acknowledged the difficulties they’ve faced with more shoppers deciding to bring their dogs along.

“In recent years there’s been a giant uptick in everybody bringing whatever kind of animal, whether it’s comfort, support, or just a pet, into the grocery store. Our members aren’t welcoming of those types of dogs,” he said.

Daigle said it’s usually pretty easy to tell the difference between a trained service dog and someone’s pet.

“When you start seeing dogs in shopping carts or pulling and jumping toward other customers, that’s when they’re not too happy,” he said. “By the same token, I think it takes a lot for somebody to speak up and say something about that because they’re so worried about stepping on someone’s toes. I think they let it be unless it’s being a total nuisance, urinating on something or jumping at people and showing teeth.”

In an effort to address those concerns, the Secretary of State’s Office and Governor’s Commission on Disability have created free decals that can be placed on the front door or windows of grocery stores and other businesses explaining that it’s illegal to misrepresent a pet as a service animal and that such actions can result in fines of up to $1,200.

Angela Ferrari, president of Dog Owners of the Granite State, said accommodating dogs at businesses is a complex issue.

“Not every dog is suited for public spaces, often due to inadequate training,” Ferrari said. “Dog Owners of the Granite State strongly supports the rights of individuals with legitimate service animals, but we are also concerned about the increasing misuse of ‘service dog’ claims.”

“This becomes apparent when an animal is not under proper control,” said Ferrari, whose organization is an American Kennel Club-affiliated nonprofit that represents the interests of pet owners in the state.

Ferrari noted efforts at the state level to address concerns around service dogs, including a House bill introduced in 2024 that aimed to create a committee to study the protection of businesses against requests to accommodate customers with fraudulent or untrained service animals, and a state law passed in 2022 allowing restaurants to allow any dogs in outdoor dining areas with their owners if they meet certain criteria.

“We believe that while dogs can and should be included in many public settings, certain places, such as grocery stores, seem inappropriate for anything other than true service animals,” she said.

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