ANIMAL QUEENDOM

Canis familiaris (dogs) and Felis catus (cats) are just two of the thousands of species that Charlotteans call pets. Here’s a look inside a complicated—and innovative—year for critter-lovers outside of the metropolitan mainstream, including cold-blooded-pet purveyors, an urban horseman, and a family of alpaca ranchers

- Andy Smith

Soaring pet adoptions is one of the few positive storylines from 2020.

In September, the national nonprofit Shelter Animals Count announced that shelter euthanasia was down 46 percent. That factoid is particularly relevant to a growing metropolis like Charlotte, where new landmarks cater to millennials and their canines. Breweries boast spacious patios with water bowls, upscale apartment complexes advertise on-site dog parks, and co-working spaces teem with entrepreneurs and their furry co-conspirators. In this city, you could conceivably go to work, dine out, and grab a beer with friends and meet a different goldendoodle at each location.

Even before COVID-19, a majority of homes had animal occupants, too. As of January, 67 percent of U.S. households had pets. That’s 85 million mixed-species families that spent 2020 navigating a pandemic in close proximity, a number that’ll shoot even higher by the end of the year. For many families (including our publisher’s), a stay-at-home order was that last nudge toward a new puppy.

It’s not just canines and felines finding new homes. Yet discussions about pet adoptions and being an “animal-friendly city” focus on those two species out of the millions on Earth—and the thousands legally ownable in North Carolina. As the owner of two dogs, I admit holding that same bias until this summer, when I visited three sites that altered my perspective on animal ownership in Charlotte.

Turns out, 2020 was a year of several storylines for our unexpected creatures. And their purveyors and caretakers tell tales of surprise and innovation in a city that doesn’t cater to them.