Where assisted living facilities allow pets, understand that it is an added monthly cost and it is best when the resident is able to take care of the pet.. Cats are easier than dogs. Dogs need walking and there are breed and behavior issues and size limitations. If you rely on the staff to walk the dog, expect there to be some degree of unreliability. Not because they don't care, but rather it's that there are conflicting priorities. If the dog could be trained to use a special pee mat, you would save on carpet cleaning hassles. If not, then try putting up a white erase board for staff to sign and mark when they walked the dog. At least it provides some accountability.
In our case, it was very important for my mother to keep her small dog as a companion. She had a very hard time as it was. Without the dog she would have folded. It was worth the trouble to arrange for the dog's integration into the assisted living facility arrangement.
The dog had a roomy pet carrier as a cage and a small carpet remnant and felt blankets for putting underneath her. I visited daily and made sure of upkeep, and also bathed and groomed the dog. Without my daily visits I do not know if it would have been feasible. This is something that you discuss beforehand with the assisted living intake personnel.
