What's your take home income? That'll play a factor in to your location. A space big enough for 2 dogs will most likely be a ground floor or basement level apartment, with hopefully a shared (with neighbors) backyard.

Downtown Jersey City is fun; you’ll have access to a good number of restaurants/bars in dtJC & can be in Manhattan in 20 to 30 minutes, and then you can also enjoy awesome hikes, and trails in NJ in the spring or fall. You can also have a fun beach day with your partner & dogs at the Jersey Shore in the summer.

Zillow & other apartment searching apps have a Dogs/Cats filter, but be sure to also ask the broker/landlord/management if dogs are allowed.

If you embrace diversity, you'll love JC. Amazing variety of cuisines, cultural celebrations, etc.

Also- you can use the Turo app to rent a car/sub/truck for a day or two, if you're not looking to take on car ownership