Pet sitters and dog walkers in Charlotte
Charlotte is the biggest city we serve and the one where the paperwork surprises people: unlike Raleigh or Winston-Salem, Mecklenburg County still requires a licence tag for every dog, cat — and ferret — over four months, and a 2026 city audit found roughly 87% of dogs don't have one. The county's dog parks make up for it: seven of them, free, no registration, from five-acre Davie in the south to the little Ninth Street pocket park in Fourth Ward.
Pet care prices in Charlotte
Going rates across Charlotte, so you know what a fair quote looks like before you book.
| Service | Typical Charlotte rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 30-minute dog walk | $20–$28 | Rover's Charlotte average was about $20–$22 in late 2026, with most bookings between $13 and $28. |
| 30-minute drop-in visit | $18–$25 | Rover's Charlotte average was around $20 in 2026. |
| Boarding in a sitter's home | $35–$55 a night | Rover's Charlotte median was $45 a night in mid-2026, fees included. |
| Overnight house sitting at your home | $40–$65 a night | — |
| Mobile grooming | $70–$110 | Big-city rates run a notch above the rest of the Carolinas. |
Providers set their own rates on Kingston’s, so what you pay is what they quote — there is no markup added at checkout. Travelling over Thanksgiving or Christmas? Holiday rates and booking deadlines run higher and fill earlier.
Covering Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
Providers list the parts of Charlotte they actually travel to, which is usually a handful of neighbourhoods rather than the whole city. Between them the app covers NoDa, Plaza Midwood, Dilworth, South End, Elizabeth, Myers Park, Fourth Ward (Uptown), Wesley Heights, Villa Heights, Sedgefield, Cotswold and Madison Park, along with the rest of Mecklenburg County. Search your own address in the app and it will show who is genuinely close rather than who is merely listed.
Our Charlotte coverage right now
We are onboarding our first Charlotte providers, so coverage is filling in neighbourhood by neighbourhood rather than being complete everywhere. We would rather say that than show you a long list of names who cannot actually take your booking. Every provider verifies their ID with our team before they appear, and the app only shows people who are free for your dates.
If nobody is near you yet, it is worth checking back — Charlotte is our home market and the first one we are building out.
Booking takes about two minutes
Search your address, read the providers who actually cover your part of Charlotte, message whoever looks right, and book when you are satisfied. Everything stays in one place — the conversation, the dates and the payment.
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Search your address
See the providers who actually cover your part of Charlotte, with their rates and reviews.
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Send the details
Your dates, your pet, anything a sitter should know. Message them before you commit.
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Book and pay in the app
Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Free for pet owners — there is no booking fee.
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Get updates while you're away
Photos and messages from your provider, in the same chat.
Dog laws in Charlotte
The parts that catch people out, and where to check for yourself.
Charlotte's rules come from the Mecklenburg County animal ordinance, and two of them catch newcomers. First, the licence: under Sec. 3-101 every dog, cat and ferret over four months needs a current county licence tag — roughly $10 a year altered or $30 unaltered through PetData, with proof of rabies vaccination, and new residents get 30 days. Second, the leash rule is stricter than most of the state: Sec. 3-71 requires restraint on your own property too — a dog loose in your yard is only legal if an adult is outside with it, and invisible fences need a visible warning sign. In public parks, off-leash is only legal inside the designated dog parks, with fines escalating from $50 to $500. Tethering is legal but regulated: the tether must be at least 10 feet, no more than a tenth of the dog's body weight, on swivel hardware. On top of all that sits state law: rabies vaccination by four months (G.S. 130A-185) and the rabies tag worn at all times (G.S. 130A-190).
Source: charlottenc.gov Animal Care & Control ordinance pages (Mecklenburg County Animal Control Ordinance ch. 3) and NC G.S. 130A-185/190. Checked 2026-10-29. Rules and fees change — confirm with the city or county before relying on this. More on pet ID tag laws.
Dog parks in Charlotte
All free, all fenced, and all leashed going in and out.
Davie Dog Park (William R. Davie Park) — 4635 Pineville-Matthews Road
About five acres, split at the 20-pound line, with water for dogs — the biggest of the county parks and south Charlotte's default. Like all Mecklenburg dog parks: free, open 7:30am to sunset, and children under 12 aren't allowed inside the fence.
Frazier Park Dog Park — 1201 W 4th Street Extension
The in-town option on the Uptown/Wesley Heights edge — 1.3 acres, small and large sections, and it connects straight onto the Irwin Creek and Stewart Creek greenways for the on-leash part of the outing.
Barkingham Park (Reedy Creek Park) — 2900 Rocky River Road
Four acres inside a 146-acre park beside a 727-acre nature preserve — the one to pick when the dog park itself is only half the plan.
Ray's Fetching Meadow (McAlpine Creek Park) — 8711 Monroe Road
Smaller at about an acre, but it links onto the McAlpine Creek Greenway, east Charlotte's best flat miles.
Shuffletown Park Dog Park — Bellhaven Boulevard
Four acres near Mountain Island Lake, divided by size — the northwest side's park.
Ninth Street Dog Park — 417 W 9th Street
A fenced pocket park in Fourth Ward for Uptown apartment dogs — small, but walkable from most of the centre city.
Lost a pet in Charlotte?
Save these numbers now, not on the day.
8315 Byrum Drive — the city shelter, where a found dog in Mecklenburg County goes. Dial 311 inside the county to have an officer collect a loose dog. The stray hold is only about three days, which is exactly why an ID tag with a live phone number matters here.
1348 Parker Drive — adoptions and low-cost clinics. A separate nonprofit: strays go to Animal Care & Control on Byrum Drive, not here.
Work through the first hour properly — our step-by-step plan covers what to do before you start making calls. A QR ID tag skips most of this: whoever finds your pet scans the code with their phone and reaches you directly, without a shelter or a scanner in between.
Your other options in Charlotte
- ✓Rover and Wag — larger networks than ours, so if you need someone tonight they will usually have somebody. Their commission on new sitters is around 20%.
- ✓A boarding kennel — predictable and staffed overnight, but your dog is somewhere unfamiliar rather than at home.
- ✓A neighbour — free and trusted, until the week they are away too.
What you get booking through Kingston’s
- ✓Every provider's photo ID is checked by a person on our team before they can appear in search or take a booking — that is what the green Verified badge means
- ✓Message a provider before you commit, and keep talking through the booking with photos. The conversation stays attached to the booking, so what was agreed stays on the record
- ✓Star ratings and reviews can only be left by someone who actually completed a booking with that provider — nobody else can post one
- ✓If something goes wrong, report it in the app and your payment is held while we review it
- ✓Providers keep 87% of what they charge against Rover's roughly 80%, so the same work pays a local sitter more — better-paid sitters stay, and a sitter who already knows your dog beats a cheaper stranger
We are the newest of these options in Charlotte and have fewer providers than the national platforms — we would rather you knew that going in. How to judge any sitter for yourself applies whichever one you choose.
Want to earn as a pet sitter in Charlotte?
Set your own rates and your own days, keep 87% of what you charge, and get paid to your bank through Stripe.
What it pays in CharlotteCharlotte pet care FAQ
Does my dog need a licence in Charlotte?+
Yes — and this is the one most new arrivals miss, because Raleigh and most of North Carolina don't require it. Mecklenburg County requires a licence tag for every dog, cat and ferret over four months: roughly $10 a year for altered pets or $30 unaltered, bought through PetData with proof of rabies vaccination. New residents have 30 days. A 2026 city audit found only about 13% of Charlotte dogs are actually licensed — but the fine lands on whoever gets checked.
What does a dog walker cost in Charlotte?+
Expect $20–$28 for a 30-minute walk — Rover's Charlotte average sat around $20–$22 in late 2026, with most bookings between $13 and $28 plus their 11% service fee. Boarding in a sitter's home runs $35–$55 a night (the mid-2026 median was $45), and overnight house sitting $40–$65 a night.
Which Charlotte dog parks separate small dogs from large ones?+
Nearly all of them — Davie splits at the 20-pound line, and Frazier, Barkingham, Ray's Fetching Meadow and Shuffletown all run separate small and large sections. All seven county dog parks are free, need no pass or registration, and open 7:30am to sunset. One rule that surprises families: children under 12 aren't allowed inside the off-leash areas.
My dog got out in Charlotte — who do I call first?+
Dial 311 (inside Mecklenburg County) to reach Animal Care & Control dispatch, then check the shelter at 8315 Byrum Drive — 704-336-7600. Move fast: CMACC's stray hold is only around three days before a dog can be adopted out, one of the shortest windows of any city we cover. Post in the Charlotte lost-pet Facebook groups the same hour.
Can my dog be loose in my own Charlotte yard?+
Only if someone is out there with it. Mecklenburg's Sec. 3-71 is stricter than most of North Carolina: a dog in an unfenced yard must have an adult outdoors immediately nearby and under voice control, and invisible fences only count if you post a visible warning sign. Off your property, a leash — and off-leash only inside the designated dog parks.
What are Charlotte's tethering rules?+
Tethering is legal but tightly specified: at least 10 feet of tether or runner, hardware with swivels, chain weight no more than a tenth of the dog's body weight, a collar that passes the two-finger fit test, and an area free of obstructions the line could tangle on. City council considered a full ban in 2017 and kept the current rules instead.
Do you have providers in my part of Charlotte?+
Charlotte is our largest market and coverage is filling in from the dense in-town neighbourhoods first — NoDa, Plaza Midwood, Dilworth, South End, Elizabeth. Open the app and search your address: it shows who can actually take the booking near you. If your corner of the city is still thin, check back — new providers join weekly.
How is Kingston's different from Rover in Charlotte?+
Providers keep 87% of what they charge; Rover takes roughly 20% from new sitters plus an 11% service fee from you at checkout. The same $22 Charlotte walk simply pays the sitter more here and costs you less — and better-paid sitters stick around, which is what you actually want in a city this spread out. Booking is free for pet owners.
Book pet care in Charlotte
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