Partner Spotlight: a paid placement by a neighborhood business, not editorial coverage.
The Pineville building also has a new generator that can run it through a power outage.
Social Pet Hotel & Daycare opened a sensory garden for dogs at its Northlake location this year, a space of scents, textures and interactive elements, and finished installing a whole-facility generator at its Pineville building.
Social Pet introduced its first purpose-built sensory garden at its Charlotte location in September 2025. The gardens let dogs explore and use their natural instincts in a calm setting, and they can be especially helpful for dogs that are choosier about socializing or group play. The idea has proven popular, with enrichment sessions booked in advance. "We've seen firsthand that enrichment can be just as valuable as physical exercise," the Social Pet team says.
The generator project began in 2023 and took extensive planning and approvals from Mecklenburg County and the Town of Pineville. Clean, circulating air is critical to the dogs' safety, so the generator is large enough to keep the entire facility operating through outages caused by severe weather or other environmental conditions.
Owners Amy and Bill Hillis built the business on the idea that dogs aren't one-size-fits-all. A shy dog might do best in a smaller playgroup with extra one-on-one attention; a senior dog may need a quieter schedule and more rest. High-energy dogs can get more physical and mental stimulation in the Adventure Park, and dogs less interested in group play can have individual enrichment sessions or time in the gardens. First-time guests start with an assessment of personality, play style and comfort level, and current vaccination records and a negative fecal test are required.
Holiday travel makes this a busy season, so Social Pet asks families who need lodging to reserve as early as possible, ideally several weeks to a couple of months ahead for major holidays. Before a stay, make sure vaccinations are current and tell the team about your dog's routines, preferences, medications or special needs. Social Pet will offer photos with Santa Nov. 17 through Dec. 3, with dates varying by location.
Social Pet opened in summer 2014 with a couple of employees and fewer than 10 dogs. It now has three locations and serves thousands of families, and the Hillises say they are especially proud of the careers they have created. In 2027 they plan more emphasis on staff training and customer service, expect to expand grooming and training across all three locations, and are exploring more ways to serve dogs that do best with one-on-one attention.
Social Pet Hotel & Daycare · Daycare, boarding, grooming and training · Pineville, Monroe Road and Northlake · (704) 835-1022 · socialpethotel.com
This Partner Spotlight appears in the November 2026 issue of Stroll Firethorne. Read the full edition here.
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