Pet-Friendly Senior Living in San Antonio
San Antonio is a great destination for retirees and their pets. Warm weather, great dog parks, and a canine-friendly culture make the Alamo City a good place to live, play, and fetch. See what San Antonio has to offer seniors and their four-legged friends.
Pet-friendly senior communities in San Antonio
Assisted and independent living communities that welcome pets are spread out all over San Antonio and its suburbs. Among them is the Waterford on Huebner, a SeniorAdvisor.com Best of 2015 award-winning community near the city’s medical center. Other complexes that welcome cats and dogs are Independence Hill Retirement Community, the Inn at Los Patios, and Brookdale Castle Hills.
Dog parks to check out
The city’s 6 off-leash public parks really put on the dog. The largest is actually two parks in one. Phil Hardberger Park’s east and west dog parks offer separate play areas for large and small dogs on the city’s northwest side. Fun features include agility equipment, a double-decker dog playhouse, and watering stations where Fido can get hydrated and rinse off.
North-central McAllister Park features a 1.5-acre fenced play space with tunnels and agility gear. On-leash adventure awaits in the rest of the park, a 980-acre nature preserve and recreation area with 15 miles of walking paths and nature trails filled with opportunities for sniffing, wagging, and romping.
Downtown residents can let the dogs out at Madison Square Dog Park, a half-acre off-leash zone that’s just a couple of blocks from the San Antonio Central Library and the Museum Reach of the River Walk. Other dog parks are Pearsall, Panther Springs, and Tom Slick.
Shopping for pampered pets
Locke Hill Pet Feed and Supply looks like a feed store on the outside and a pet megastore on the inside. The store is a longtime popular destination for owners of everything from chickens to Chihuahuas. Customers appreciate the shop’s big selection of toys, collars, equipment, and healthy food brands.
Another popular shopping spot, especially for bird owners, is Pet Works, located in the upscale Alamo Heights area. In addition to toys, food, fresh-baked treats, and supplies, Pet Works is also a local source for hand-raised baby parrots and hard-to-find boarding services for pet reptiles, small animals, and birds.
Dog days out
Dog owners will find dozens of pet-friendly restaurants around San Antonio, especially in and near downtown. Diners with dogs can enjoy locally sourced soul food at The Cove, which includes everything from a playscape for the kids to a fenced run for dogs, cold craft beers at Blue Star Brewing Company, and Cuban-Mexican-Spanish fusion cuisine and cocktails at Ocho in Hotel Havana on the River Walk.
To work off all that delicious food, consider getting out with the San Antonio Nature Hounds, a group of dog owners more than 1,000 strong. The Nature Hounds maintain a full calendar of park days, state park excursions, River Walk strolls, and road trips to the beach with their pup pals.
Big dog events around town
The San Antonio Kennel Club hosts a series of shows every spring in scenic Kerrville, which is located in the Hill Country just northwest of town. The yearly River City Cluster of Dog Shows brings in exhibitors and purebred competitors from all over the world for 5 days of conformation trials, breed-specific shows, and public exhibits and demonstrations.
Learn more about San Antonio Senior Living here:
San Antonio Low-Income Senior Housing
Best of San Antonio Senior Living
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