North Carolina FedEx Driver In Custody Accused Of Stealing Child’s Tortoise
It’s low to steal. But this is on a different level- stealing a pet from a child. What kind of sick individual does something like this? Well, it’s what Jiniece…
ALBUFEIRA, PORTUGAL – SEPTEMBER 22: A tortoise is pictured during day two of the Portugal Masters at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Club on September 22, 2017 in Albufeira, Portugal.
(Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)It's low to steal. But this is on a different level- stealing a pet from a child. What kind of sick individual does something like this? Well, it's what Jiniece Grant is accused of. While working as a FedEx delivery driver she allegedly stole a tortoise off the front porch. The Brazilian Red Foot Tortoise belonged to a 5-year-old child who lived at the residence. Grant is now charged with Felony Larceny according to the Lee County Sherriff's Office. I have a lot of questions the first one being what would prompt someone to do this?
North Carolina City Is Ranked As One Of The Most Pet Friendly
It's no secret we love our pets! They are family! In fact, did you know that there are over 90 million households with pets in the US? That's a lot of pets and families who want them to live long, happy, and healthy lives. Can where you reside impact that? It just might! A recent study conducted by Wallet Hub ranked one North Carolina city as one of the most pet friendly. Think you know which one it is? I'll give you a hint it has a vet school which probably contributed to such a high ranking on this list.
In 2021, pet ownership cost Americans $123.6 billion, according to the American Pet Products Association. Expenses add up fast between food, vet care, grooming, toys, boarding etc. Though if you love your pets the way I do there is no amount of money you wouldn't spend on them.
With animal parents in mind, WalletHub compared the pet-friendliness of the 100 largest U.S. cities across 23 key metrics. Their data set ranges from minimum pet-care provider rate per visit to pet businesses per capita to walkability. Keep reading to see which North Carolina city ranked as one of the most pet friendly. You'll see the top 20 and then below that where there the other three NC cities included are ranked. You can read WalletHub's full study here.
Top 20 Most Pet Friendly Cities In The US
1. Scottsdale, AZ
Total Score: 63.48
Pet Budget: 74
Pet Health & Wellness: 1
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 6
2. Tampa, FL
Total Score: 61.86
Pet Budget: 38
Pet Health & Wellness: 4
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 19
3. Portland, OR
Total Score: 59.46
Pet Budget: 59
Pet Health & Wellness: 9
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 4
Terry Wyatt/Getty Images4. St. Louis, MO
Total Score: 59.18
Pet Budget: 59
Pet Health & Wellness: 9
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 4
5. Cincinnati, OH
Total Score: 59.14
Pet Budget: 16
Pet Health & Wellness: 25
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 32
6. St. Petersburg, FL
Total Score: 58.91
Pet Budget: 38
Pet Health & Wellness: 5
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 38
7. Lexington-Fayette, KY
Total Score: 58.35
Pet Budget: 10
Pet Health & Wellness: 10
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 93
8. Las Vegas, NV
Total Score: 58.25
Pet Budget: 56
Pet Health & Wellness: 35
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 3
9. Colorado Springs, CO
Total Score: 55.77
Pet Budget: 58
Pet Health & Wellness: 8
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 34
Jason Kempin/Getty Images10. Raleigh, NC
Total Score: 57.32
Pet Budget: 2
Pet Health & Wellness: 41
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 60
Getty Images11. Omaha, NE
Total Score: 57.25
Pet Budget: 2
Pet Health & Wellness: 41
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 60
12. Orlando, FL
Total Score: 57.08
Pet Budget: 49
Pet Health & Wellness: 7
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 43
13. Plano, TX
Total Score: 56.99
Pet Budget: 81
Pet Health & Wellness: 2
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 27
14. Boise, ID
Total Score: 56.99
Pet Budget: 41
Pet Health & Wellness: 32
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 18
15. Birmingham, AL
Total Score: 56.54
Pet Budget: 21
Pet Health & Wellness: 20
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 87
16. Denver, CO
Total Score: 55.77
Pet Budget: 58
Pet Health & Wellness: 8
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 34
17. Austin, TX
Total Score: 55.52
Pet Budget: 60
Pet Health & Wellness: 3
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 62
18. Pittsburgh, PA
Total Score: 55.33
Pet Budget: 47
Pet Health & Wellness: 39
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 21
19. North Las Vegas, NV
Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for MAC PresentsTotal Score: 55.22
Pet Budget: 20
Pet Health & Wellness: 78
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 16
20. Atlanta, GA
Total Score: 54.70
Pet Budget: 29
Pet Health & Wellness: 14
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 82
North Carolina's Pet Friendliest Cities
Please note Raleigh was previously included at #10
47. Winston-Salem, NC
Total Score: 50.62
Pet Budget: 5
Pet Health & Wellness: 91
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 75
52. Greensboro, NC
Total Score: 49.99
Pet Budget: 8
Pet Health & Wellness: 70
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 72
83. Charlotte, NC
Total Score: 45.55
Pet Budget: 55
Pet Health & Wellness: 57
Outdoor Pet Friendliness: 94
Metholodology (From WalletHub)
In order to determine the most pet-friendly places in America, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated cities across three key dimensions: 1) Pet Budget, 2) Pet Health & Wellness and 3) Outdoor Pet-Friendliness.
We evaluated those dimensions using 23 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for pets and their owners. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at the state level only. For metrics marked with an asterisk (**), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.
Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. Our sample considers only the city proper in each case and excludes cities in the surrounding metro area.
Pet Budget – Total Points: 25
Pet Health & Wellness – Total Points: 50
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness – Total Points: 25
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Yelp.com, WalkScore.com, RentPath, Pets Best Insurance Services, Council for Community and Economic Research, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Sittercity, BringFido, InfoDog, Trust for Public Land, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Meetup, Realtor and WalletHub research.
