So Rattner, a 24-year-old tech worker and former professional dog-walker, conducted an experiment to test his suspicion of living in the center of the pooch universe. Inspired by WNYC’s 2013 “Dogs of NYC” project, he dove into the extensive public database of licensed dogs (New Yorkers are required to license their hounds, though only about a fifth do) and created a map of dog densities for ZIP codes in every borough. “While a record of New York dogs may not be the most impactful or powerful public database available, it may be the most fun one,” he says.
The results jolted him. The East Village isn’t even in the top 30 most dog-intensive neighborhoods. “It turns out there are other residents sidestepping leashes and droppings more frequently than I am.” A vast furbelt extends across southern Staten Island, for instance, perhaps because people there have something called “yards.” There’s also a concentrated zone of dogginess in the northeast Bronx. But Manhattan does claim 9 of the 10 top dog-infested ZIPs. Brooklyn doesn’t show up until number 24 and Queens makes its first appearance at 27. “If you hate dogs, get out of Manhattan.”
A couple things might explain the island’s canine fecundity, starting with a possible correlation between wealth and pet ownership. “If you look at the top ZIP codes most densely populated by dogs, they are in neighborhoods across downtown Manhattan, the Upper West and Upper East sides, Greenwich Village, and Chelsea,” Rattner says. “These are pricey places to live and, in some cases, are among America's most-expensive ZIP codes. Owning a dog is expensive, and it’s not an affordable luxury to everyone in the city.”
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