Charlotte, North Carolina
October 1–4, 2021
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Note: The 2021 convention was shifted from May 14–17 to October 1–4 due to the pandemic.
Our 2021 convention will be among the friendly faces of Pineville, North Carolina—an affordable suburb of Charlotte. This is close to our past Rock Hill, SC conventions, but significantly closer to the prominent Charlotte, NC Airport.
The convention will take place sandwiching the first weekend in October. There are no guarantees, but we’re hoping this date and new social policies will enable us to stay safe when it comes to the pandemic.
We’ll return to the lovely lodging of a Hilton Garden Inn for our convention. While not designed for pedestrians, the hotel is within walking distance of a choice selection of eateries and a shopping center, and is near a beautiful park and the Carolina Place Mall. Plan to arrive by Friday, October 1st for the welcome meeting that night (attendance expected) and to leave no earlier than Monday, October 4th (officially scheduled activities run into Sunday night).
Registration
Registration closes on August 27th. Details are on the 2021 Convention Registration page.
Scholarship applications are due July 1st.
Info packet
Our info packet has much of what you want to know about the convention, plus the policies you need to know about if you’re considering joining us.
The preliminary Convention Info Packet for April 2020 (illustrating pre-pandemic policies) is linked in this sentence. This PDF text is not selectable due to recent/temporary software issues outside of our control, so please contact us for a text file if you need selectable text for accessibility.
What’s it like? Are there pictures?
PSDP conventions are times to network with service dog handlers through workshops, training, support, and a lot of fun! For a taste of what they’re like, enjoy the quotations below and the 2019 convention pictures—and find more on the pages of previous conventions.
Sponsors
We’re accepting convention sponsors through August 27th for 2020 and we’d love to have you partner with us. If you have a donation of goods or services, volunteers like Deanna Thompson—our Goodie Bag Guru—await you with a warm heart and a smiling face. Come on board—it’s rewarding and easy! (2020 sponsors carry over to 2021 due to the 2020 cancellation.)
Gold sponsors:
In honor of the Efthimiou family, In memory of Gabriel
Silver sponsors:
The Bark, Calm Wave Productions, NAMI Piedmont Tri-County, Park Dental Group (image forthcoming)
Bronze sponsors:
BlueCollar Working Dog, Chili’s Bar & Grill—Rohnert Park, Holden Scott’s Dog Gear, K9 Activity Club & Lodge, Mellow Mushroom—Rock Hill, Pet Supermarket—Rock Hill, SPCALA Marketplace, Star Blue, Unleashed by Petco, The UPS Store—Fulton Road Santa Rosa, VCA Westside Animal Hospital—Santa Rosa, VIP Petcare—Windsor, Vital Essentials, Wendy’s—Rock Hill
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Our 2019 convention was rated 4.639 / 5 overall by convention-goers! They had the following to pass along to those considering joining us at future conventions:
If anyone out there with a PSD or wanting a PSD feels alone or like there is no one that understands or that can relate to them and the way they live or the way they feel and think, come to a PSDP convention and you will find the people that you have been looking for your whole life. That is how it as for me.
The people stood out to me the most. Very helpful, understanding and most of all caring. They cared about not only my comfort and the comfort of my dog but also my safety overall.
The thing that stands out to me is the love and acceptance I feel from my PSDP family. The knowledge I leave with is priceless.
This was a great Convention! We enjoyed everything!
The portion that stood out to me personally was being able to associate and speak with members of my community. Everyone understood to some degree where everyone else was coming from in their problems and triumphs. I felt so at home when I allowed myself to relax.
I look forward to conventions all year long!
PSDP has been an important resource in my service dog journey. Being able to actually meet everyone that have helped me so much over the years was life changing. The convention has helped me feel less alone and more connected with those in my circle. I have expanded my world just a little bit more because of PSDP and the convention has helped confirm that.
I have never been so far away from home yet felt so at home before. This is the best gift I could ever give myself and my service dog.