From the very beginning, Philadelphia has been one of the best cities in America for pets. George Washington had foxhounds named Drunkard, Tipsy, Sweet Lips and Vulcan. Ben Franklin’s family had a Newfie. And William Penn had a Great Dane, a breed which later became the official state dog of Pennsylvania.
But around present-day Philadelphia, where are the best apartments in town for pet owners and enthusiasts? We cataloged pet facilities in Philly – training, grooming, sitting, walking, shops, supplies, parks, veterinarians and pet hospitals – and cross-referenced them with every apartment listing on rent.com. We calculated the number of facilities near each apartment building, weighted them for distance and uncovered the 10 best Philadelphia apartments for pet lovers.
10. 222 Rittenhouse
Photo courtesy of 222 Rittenhouse
The ability to walk out the front door of your apartment building right into Rittenhouse Square Park is a pet lover and dog walker’s dream. And at 222 Rittenhouse, a historic high-rise right on the western edge of the park is a luxurious way to do it.
The one-, two- and three-bedroom units contain unique touches, such as bamboo flooring, mahogany blinds and custom-tiled bathrooms, along with gourmet kitchens and walk-in utility rooms. The building also features a modern fitness center, valet dry-cleaning and incredible views over the park and Center City.
West Rittenhouse is a pet lover’s paradise, with many fluffy needs just steps away. Rittenhouse Square Pet Supply is right next door, and Doggie Style Pets South is close by.
Schuylkill River Park is home to some of the best dog parks in the city, including big and little dog run. And for medical care, VCA Cat Hospital of Philadelphia, Liberty Pet Vets and World of Animals at Rittenhouse can take care of any four-legged need.
9. Chancellor Apartments
Photo courtesy of Chancellor Apartments
The Chancellor Apartments is a cats-only building on the south end of Center City, convenient to the Broad Street corridor. The 24-story building’s units are fully presented with high ceilings and large windows, hardwood flooring throughout, walk-in closets and a plethora of natural light. Rent in this beaux-arts style high-rise includes heat and water, and contains smart card laundry facilities and 24/7 assistance in the lobby.
Supply and services nearby include the Rittenhouse Veterinary Medical Center and Morris Animal Refuge.
8. The Beacon
Photo courtesy of The Beacon
Formerly the home of the oldest private bank in America, Brown Brothers Harriman, The Beacon is a newly-renovated building midway between Broad Street and Rittenhouse Square.
Units in the historic building feature high ceilings and hardwood floors that lead up to expansive window walls, chef kitchens with stone countertops and private balconies. The community offers “resort-style” facilities like an entertainment kitchen with party room, gaming lounge and club room, upscale fitness center and a rooftop terrace with Center City views.
While there’s no better place in Philly to be seen walking your furry friend than Rittenhouse Square, which is just two blocks away, John F. Collins Park is a hidden gem just around the corner.
For doggy daycare needs, one of Philly’s five locations of Dog School is close by, as is Doggie Style Pets Spruce for gear, supplies and grooming services. Helpful pupper services with the cutest name are available at Rittenhound Dog Walking & Pet Sitting.
Related: The Best Apartments in Philadelphia for Coffee Lovers
7. 1401 Walnut St.
Photo courtesy of 1401 Walnut Street
In between the historic hundred-year-old Bellevue Hotel and the historic Union League of Philadelphia, which dates back to the 1860s, is the historic 1401 Walnut Street building.
While it’s all old school architecture on the outside, it’s fully upscale contemporary on the inside. These 36 luxury units with 1,000- to 2,500-square-foot floorplans also feature spacious 13-foot ceilings, hardwood flooring, halogen lighting, Italian tile touches and Poggenpohl kitchens with sub-zero appliances. And with its Broad and Walnut address, nearly every amenity, facility and necessity is no more than a block or two away.
At this central location, you can walk out the front door and be the poshest pooch in the hood going for a walk up and down the Avenue of the Arts, but plenty of dog-friendly parks are available just off Broad, as well, including Hawthorne Park and Marian Anderson Park.
Just a short walk away is the Center City PetSmart and its Banfield Pet Hospital. Pampered Pooch groomers and Litterpaw Pet Supply and The Barking Lot are just over in Washington Square West. And for personalized care, The Pet Mechanic is a nearby veterinarian center.
6. The Collins at Midtown Village
Photo courtesy of The Collins at Midtown Village
Housed in the former upmarket Oppenheim, Collins & Co. Department Store building, The Collins at Midtown Village is a mixture of classic and contemporary loft-style apartments. This Midtown Village address’ units include “luxe” amenities, with high ceilings and ceiling fans, modern kitchens with either quartz or granite countertops, depending if you’ve chosen a new or vintage style apartment, plus terraced porches.
Resident features include a high-end fitness studio, clubhouse, recreation lounge, landscaped courtyard and an expansive rooftop sundeck with fire pit lounge area, grilling station and a private dog park in the sky.
Shopping for your four-legged friends couldn’t be easier with the Washington Square PetSmart literally around the corner, which has a Banfield Pet Hospital located inside. Additionally, the veterinarian collective at the Center City Veterinary Hospital is just a few blocks away.
The quaint neighborhood Litterpaw Pet Supply offers a vast toy selection as well as food delivery so you and Fido don’t even need to go outside. Also convenient to The Collins is Doggie Style Pets’ Washington Square West location, the Moody Pet and Barking Lot pet stores and the Pampered Pooch pet groomers, for when you’re heading out on the town together.
5. 1213 Walnut
Photo courtesy of 1213 Walnut
Among the trendy cafés and chic shops of Midtown Village, 1213 Walnut is an upscale high-rise at the confluence of Market East, Washington Square West and Rittenhouse Square.
The luxury units feature touches like oak floors, “Italkraft” cabinets, floor-to-ceiling windows with automated mechanical shades, a modern kitchen with stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and a movable island and a private terrace.
The pet-friendly building has its own dog park and dog washing and grooming station, but the neighborhood is just as inviting to your furry friends. Pet stores Litterpaw Pet Supply, The Barking Lot and Doggie Style Pets Pine are both just steps away, as is pet groomer Pampered Pooch.
Fetch! Pet Care pet sitters and dog walkers operate right in the neighborhood, and the Chestnut Street PetSmart big box store is a pet haven and also includes a Banfield Pet Hospital clinic.
4. Griffin Center City
Photo courtesy of Griffin Center City
In the shadow of Billy Penn, The Griffin Center City is just one block south of City Hall on one of the best blocks in town for people-watching for your pet and pet-watching for you.
The 1800s-style building in the heart of Philly’s Avenue of the Arts features units with amenities like contemporary kitchens with inlaid quartz countertops and movable islands, lush carpeting in the bedrooms and hardwood floors in the living areas with “Mecho” style blinds, glass showers and smart locks.
Just steps from the best corridor for parks, The Griffin affords you and your pet the opportunity to visit a different neighborhood park every month if you so desire. Take a stroll up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to frolic in a bevy of parks including Dilworth, LOVE, Cret, Levy, Sister Cities, Aviator, Baldwin, Paine’s and a dozen more over a single mile.
Pet supply stores also fill the Parkway area, including Glad Dogs Nation and Unleashed, a boutique store under the Petco brand. Looking for dog walkers and pet sitters? There’s an abundance in this part of the city, including City Wide Sitters. Liberty Dog Walkers and DoggieVIP, not to mention the appropriately-named Bomb-Squad Pooper Scooper Service.
3. 218 Arch Street
Photo courtesy of 218 Arch Street
Throughout history, renowned artists have also identified as incurable pet lovers, as evidenced by the works of Warhol, Matisse, Picasso, O’Keeffe and Dalí. So, it’s no surprise that 218 Arch Street, in the hub of Old City’s arts community, is one of the best places in Philly for those with four-legged companions.
You and your pets will be dazzled by community amenities which include a city-inspired fitness center with Peloton spin studio, climate-protected bike storage and underground parking, television lounge with oversized sets, and both a spacious shaded courtyard and a rooftop sundeck with resort-style lounge space.
Within a block or two is a myriad of stores focused on pet supplies and needs, including the Old City Doggie Style Pets Market, City Critters, The Ruff Life doggy daycare and BONEjour Pet Supply and Dog Wash as well as Four Paws Dog Walking. For emergencies, Center City Veterinary Hospital is just around the corner, as is the PAWS Downtown Adoption Center where you can find your pet a new friend.
And when it’s time for a romp in the park, Penn’s Landing Dog Park is right along the river, along with the walking paths of Race Street Pier, hammocked Spruce Street Harbor Park and I-95 Park built over the interstate.
Related: The Best Apartments in Philadelphia Near Parks
2. The Isle
Photo courtesy of The Isle
Tucked away on skinny Venice Island between the Schuylkill River and Schuylkill Canal, just across the Navigation from Main Street in the Manayunk neighborhood, is the brand new The Isle.
The modern “apartment home” style units feature open floor plans with wood-style flooring, oversized windows to see out over the flowing water in every apartment, kitchens with electric ranges, stainless steel appliances and repositionable islands and Silestone countertops, also found in the bathrooms.
The complex offers a complete fitness center, a waterfront club lounge with fireplace and billiards room, a front-porch-style deck with homey furnishings and private dog run.
Manayunk is one of the most pet-friendly neighborhoods in all of Philadelphia, and specialty services thrive just over The Isle’s secure resident-only pedestrian bridge to the Manayunk mainland. Right along the Main Street shopping district alone is the Pet Friendly Dog Bakery, Canine Clippers groomers, City of Paws Pet Care, Top Tails dog walking and pet sitting and Paw5 pet supply. Caring For Cats veterinarian and The Animedic Veterinary Hospital are both just a block off Main Street, and the Roxborough Animal Hospital and Wissahickon Creek Veterinary Hospital are close by.
For outdoor exercise, Pretzel Park and Boone Park are right up the street, and the Schuylkill River Trail and Manayunk Canal Path run along both sides of the waterway. Roxborough Dog Park is just up the hills, and the 25 miles of trail within Laurel Hill Cemetery are right over the river.
1. Spruce Apartments
Photo courtesy of Spruce Apartments
Among the tree-lined streets of Washington Square West is the complex of single-owner rowhouses that make up the Spruce Apartments, the best apartments in Philadelphia for pet lovers.
The building, dating back to 1900, is a four-story brick-façade structure split into just eight unique newly-renovated bohemian residences. All units feature new hardwood floors, ceiling fans, kitchens with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances and dormer windows jutting out from sloping roofs in upstairs units.
A surface parking lot with assigned parking is available for rent, and utilities are a flat monthly fee. Shared outdoor spaces include a courtyard and lawn.
The Spruce Apartments location where urban Center City blends into residential Washington Square West, Society Hill and The Barking Lot are just one block down, and Accent on Animals, The Pet Snob’s Boutique and Barkadelphia are along hip South Street, as is The WAG Whole Animal Gym.
Veterinary care is close by, with The Pet Mechanic, Queen Village Animal Hospital and Society Hill Veterinary Hospital are all down the South Street corridor. And only two blocks south is the Seger Park Dog Run, an impeccably-maintained off-leash park secured by a gated perimeter, with an available membership that includes policy voting rights and discounts to local businesses.
Methodology
We looked at all multifamily apartment complexes in Philadelphia with active listings on ApartmentGuide.com and rent.com and rated them on the number of pet facilities within a half-mile radius. We used an exponentially decreasing scale based on distance from the apartment. For instance, pet stores across the street would score higher than those a quarter-mile away. Our pet-related establishment counts come from commercially available school listings.
