SALT LAKE CITY — It should be called "Bark Lake City."
A survey conducted for the city's public lands agency says that Salt Lake City has more households with dogs than it has households with children. It's a factoid often repeated by Mayor Erin Mendenhall and members of the city council as they talk about parks and planning.
FOX 13 News requested more information on the nugget of information, finding its origins are in a 2017 Y2 Analytics survey conducted for the Salt Lake City Department of Public Lands, which oversees parks in the city. It found that 22% of those households surveyed reported having someone under age 18 living with them, while 38% reported owning a dog.
Tom Millar, a planning manager for the department, said there is no indication anything has changed in the years since that survey.
"I think it’s continuing the way that it’s continuing," he told FOX 13 News on Friday. "We know how our population’s growing. It’s not that there are no children to provide playgrounds and parks for, but there are definitely more dogs and dog owners."
The news is a little surprising, but also validating to Brandy Chenoweth, who runs DogFriendlySLC.com, a website that began as an Instagram account that lists places for people and their dogs to go.
"I mean, as a dog lover? I love that," she said Friday. "It’s good to see. I think I'm most excited knowing that hopefully that helps the city allocate resources appropriately."
Utah has lately seen a birth rate decline. Research by the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute found the state has dropped from first in the nation in births to fourth place. The fertility rate declined 22%.
Data such as the Y2 Analytics survey does help the city plan public spaces and meet the needs of its residents. Salt Lake City Public Lands said it has 11 off-leash dog parks across the city (with more being planned) and three time-specific dog areas.
"We’re also applying for funding to study and then acquire property, additional property and acreage in our system to provide more dog parks in areas where dog ownership is higher than say, the city average," Millar said.
Asked where the top area for dogs would be, Millar replied: "Sugar House." The city compares itself to similar cities.
"Per capita we have the most dogs and the most dog parks. And we intend to keep on that trajectory and providing more dog park service," Millar said.
Chenoweth, whose website and Instagram account keep track of the friendliest places for dogs, gives Salt Lake City high marks for pet-friendly spots.
"I would say Salt Lake City, the city itself, does a really great job allocating things to dogs. I think an area where Salt Lake and Utah in general could improve is relaxing some the patio restrictions around dogs," she said. "We are probably one of the more strict Western states when it comes to rules around dogs around patios and it makes it tougher for businesses that want to allow them."
She also urged dog owners to exercise responsibility to keep spaces accessible to them.
