San Franciscans love having pets — a walk through any park will reveal many of the city's estimated 120,000 dogs walking with their owners. It's pretty common to spot a cat perched on a windowsill in someone's living room, and there are countless birds, rodents, reptiles and fish in people's homes. The city is full of resources for pet owners, such as vets, pet shops, groomers, and pet hotels.

Licenses

San Francisco law requires that dogs be licensed with the city. A license contains the pet's home address as well as rabies vaccination info. Licensing costs an annual $14 for spayed/neutered dogs and $27 for unaltered dogs. Senior citizens can pay $14 and $9 for spayed/neutered and unaltered dogs, respectively. Licensing for cats is optional and costs $11 over the lifetime of the cat.

Housing

Most landlords forbid residents from having large pets such as dogs and cats, and many of the ones who permit them require dogs to weigh less than around 25 pounds. Some neighborhoods, such as the Tenderloin and the Mission, are generally more likely to include housing that allows pets.