Pet sitters and dog walkers in Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem went the opposite way from Charlotte: Forsyth County abolished pet licensing entirely in March 2022, so the only tag the law cares about here is the rabies tag. What the county kept is one of the state's toughest tethering rules — a dog may not be tied out at all unless an adult is physically out there with it — and a pair of greenway-connected dog parks that make Ardmore and Washington Park the easiest neighbourhoods in the Triad to own a dog without a yard.
Pet care prices in Winston-Salem
Going rates across Winston-Salem, so you know what a fair quote looks like before you book.
| Service | Typical Winston-Salem rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 30-minute dog walk | $13–$25 | Rover's Winston-Salem average was $17 in October 2026 — the most affordable market we cover. |
| 30-minute drop-in visit | $15–$22 | — |
| Boarding in a sitter's home | $29–$58 a night | Rover's Winston-Salem average was $41 a night in 2026. |
| Overnight house sitting at your home | $35–$60 a night | — |
| Mobile grooming | $60–$90 | Triad rates, a notch under Raleigh. |
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 Winston-Salem and Forsyth County
Providers list the parts of Winston-Salem they actually travel to, which is usually a handful of neighbourhoods rather than the whole city. Between them the app covers Ardmore, West End, Washington Park, Buena Vista, West Highlands, Old Salem, West Salem, Sunnyside, Downtown (Holly Avenue / Arts District), Reynolda Park, Konnoak Hills and Sherwood Forest, along with the rest of Forsyth County. Search your own address in the app and it will show who is genuinely close rather than who is merely listed.
Our Winston-Salem coverage right now
We are onboarding our first Winston-Salem 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 — Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem, 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 Winston-Salem, 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.
- 3
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 Winston-Salem
The parts that catch people out, and where to check for yourself.
Winston-Salem's animal rules are Forsyth County's, enforced countywide by the Sheriff's Animal Services Division. The headline is tethering: a dog may not be tethered at all unless the owner or an adult custodian is physically present, with narrow exceptions for camping and hunting — and even then the setup must give 10 feet of movement, with no tethering of puppies under a year or sick dogs. Fines run to $500. The leash rule (ch. 6, Sec. 6-13) requires physical restraint everywhere off your property, with dogs leashed in all public parks outside the fenced dog parks, and dogs left outdoors unattended inside the city must be confined by adequate fence. There is no pet licence — the county abolished licensing in March 2022, leaving only the state layer: rabies vaccination by four months (G.S. 130A-185) and the rabies tag worn at all times (G.S. 130A-190).
Source: Forsyth County Code ch. 6 (forsyth.cc sheriff animal services regulations) 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 Winston-Salem
All free, all fenced, and all leashed going in and out.
Dog Park at Washington Park — 1490 S Broad Street
The city's oldest dog park: fenced, double-gated, separate large and small areas, water station and shade — and it connects onto the 5-mile Salem Creek Greenway, so the off-leash run and the long walk are one outing. Open roughly 7am–8pm, free.
Jamison Park Dog Park — 285 Meadowlark Drive
The newer park on the northwest side, fenced with size-separated areas and the 3-mile Muddy Creek Greenway next door. Limited shade and no water station — bring your own in summer.
Happy Hounds Dog Park (Horizons Park) — 2835 Memorial Industrial School Road, Rural Hall
Forsyth County's big one just north of town: 2.65 fenced acres split at the 25-pound line, with benches, fountains and waste stations. Free; puppies under four months not permitted.
Tanglewoof Dog Park (Tanglewood Park) — 4061 Clemmons Road, Clemmons
The dog park is free but Tanglewood charges a $2 per-car gate fee — and it has its own status line (336-703-6405) to check whether it's closed for muddy conditions before you drive out. Grass for the big dogs, turf for the 25-and-under side.
Lost a pet in Winston-Salem?
Save these numbers now, not on the day.
5570 Sturmer Park Circle — where a found dog in Forsyth County goes. The found-pet line is 336-703-2480; public hours are short (afternoons, Tue–Sat), so call before driving over.
The 24/7 non-emergency dispatch for a loose or found dog anywhere in the county, Winston-Salem included.
4881 Country Club Road — adoptions, not stray intake; strays go to the county shelter on Sturmer Park Circle.
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 Winston-Salem
- ✓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 Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem?
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 Winston-SalemWinston-Salem pet care FAQ
Do I need a dog licence in Winston-Salem?+
No — and this is current, not folklore: Forsyth County commissioners abolished pet licensing outright on 3 March 2022. The only licence that exists now is the $100-a-year dangerous-dog licence for court-declared cases. What the law does require is the state layer: rabies vaccination by four months, and the rabies tag worn at all times. That tag carries no contact details, which is why an ID tag alongside it is what actually gets a lost dog home.
Can I tie my dog out in the yard here?+
Not unless you're out there with it. Forsyth County bars tethering a dog at all when no adult is physically present — one of the strictest rules in North Carolina, with fines up to $500 and possible seizure. Fenced yards and attended leashes are the legal options, and puppies under a year may not be tethered at all.
What does a dog walker cost in Winston-Salem?+
This is the best-value market we cover: Rover's average was $17 for a 30-minute walk in October 2026, with most bookings between $13 and $25. Boarding in a sitter's home runs $29–$58 a night (the 2026 average was $41), and overnight house sitting $35–$60.
Which Winston-Salem dog parks separate small dogs from large ones?+
All four of the main ones: Washington Park and Jamison Park in the city split by size, Happy Hounds at Horizons Park divides 2.65 acres at the 25-pound line, and Tanglewoof gives the small dogs the turf side. Washington Park is the standout for a full outing — the fenced run connects straight onto the five-mile Salem Creek Greenway.
What's the catch with Tanglewoof Dog Park?+
Two quirks: the dog park is free but you pay Tanglewood Park's $2 per-car gate fee to reach it, and it closes for muddy conditions often enough that the county runs a dedicated status line — 336-703-6405. Call it before you drive to Clemmons on a wet week.
My dog got out in Winston-Salem — who do I call first?+
The Sheriff's Animal Services dispatch on 336-727-2112 — it's staffed around the clock for the whole county. Then file with the shelter's found-pet line, 336-703-2480, and check in person at 5570 Sturmer Park Circle (afternoon hours only, Tue–Sat). Post in the Winston-Salem lost-pet Facebook groups at the same time.
Do you have providers in my part of Winston-Salem?+
Coverage is building out from the sidewalk neighbourhoods first — Ardmore, West End, Washington Park, Buena Vista. Open the app and search your address to see who's genuinely available near you, and check back if your street is still thin; the Triad is growing for us.
How is Kingston's different from Rover in Winston-Salem?+
Providers keep 87% of what they charge. In a $17-a-walk market that difference decides whether sitting is worth anyone's time — better-paid sitters stay, and a sitter who already knows your dog beats a cheaper stranger. Booking is free for pet owners either way.
Book pet care in Winston-Salem
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