Pet-Friendly Senior Living in Charlotte
The Queen City is a popular place to retire, especially if you want to spend a lot of time with your pet. The Charlotte metro area features nine dog parks, several hiking trails that welcome on-leash dogs, and plenty of pet-friendly senior living communities around town. The local kennel club helps new dog owners socialize their pets, and the yearly Pet Expo features contests, competitions, and more.
Plenty of pet friendly senior living options
From independent living communities to dementia-care residences, many Charlotte-area senior communities welcome residents’ pets. The Carmel Place independent living complex in South Charlotte is a pet-friendly community that provides hot meals, housekeeping service, and shuttle service to take residents and their four-legged friends around town. Seniors who need an assisted living setting have options like Brighton Gardens, where pets are welcome. Nearby community features include the 72-acre Park Road Park and the Tyvola Senior Center.
When seniors need memory care, the comfort and familiarity of a companion animal can be therapeutic. Brighton Gardens offers specialized care for dementia patients, as do other pet-friendly local facilities such as Legacy Heights.
A walk in the park
Among the popular places in Charlotte for dog owners to promenade with their pets is the Charlotte Trolley Rail-to-Trail path. The two-mile paved path follows the Uptown trolley line to South End. Pedestrians can rest on the many benches along the trail, trash bins along the way make it easy to clean up after pets, and the trolley is an easy way to make the return trip.
Frazier Park in central Charlotte is another popular destination, and not just for pet owners. The park’s fenced areas for small and large off-leash dogs are a big draw, along with community garden plots, kids’ play areas, sport courts, and trails along Irwin Creek.
For dogs and people who like more room to roam, Davie Dog Park inside William R. Davie District Park offers five acres of off-leash space divided into large- and small-dog zones. Davie District Park totals 107 acres and features walking trails for on-leash pets, a pond, and restrooms.
Putting on the dog in Charlotte
Dog people can get together at the Piedmont Kennel Club’s monthly meetings to learn about everything from particular breeds to dog health remedies and upcoming events. Piedmont Kennel Club also sponsors a regular schedule of “puppy kindergarten” classes as well as socialization times for adult dogs. Retirees who’ve been looking forward to more intensive learning time with their dogs can check out the offerings at the Charlotte Dog Training Club. The group provides classes in obedience, agility, tracking, and rally along with seminars on the details of dog training for trials and shows. CDTC also hosts a tracking dog test every January along with occasional agility, rally, and obedience trials.
Charlotte’s yearly Pet Expo brings vendors, animal rescue groups, trainers, and pet lovers together each spring for fun. Events include demonstrations of canine agility, pet adoption opportunities, animal talent contests, and more.
Explore more pet-friendly assisted living in Charlotte on SeniorAdvisor.com.