Piggy

If you know me, you know I have a dog named Piggy. He is an English Bulldog/Boxer mix and a very special boy. Because of Pig, most of our recent trips have been nearby and ones where he can go along.

In April 2016, we decided to celebrate Piggy’s 8th birthday in Charleston.

When we travel with Piggy, we try to make sure that he has plenty of time to explore and get tuckered out before we leave him to sleep in the hotel room.

Because of Piggy, I feel as if sometimes we get to see more of a city than the average day-tripper. We find parks and greenways that someone just visiting the city to eat and shop would miss.

On this particular day in Charleston, we headed first to the North Charleston Riverfront Park. However, the park was extra busy that day for an Earth Day Festival. Despite the crowd, the park was quite beautiful and had plenty of green space for everyone to enjoy.

When traveling with a pet, make sure you have water for them. Because of Piggy’s breed, he can easily overheat, so I have two water bottles and a foldable bowl for him. This is so convenient and ensures that we can keep exploring.

Piggy, in the back seat, with his harness.

Another favorite pastime while traveling with Piggy is to check out the local breweries. Most breweries are dog friendly and some even allow dogs inside. Piggy loves to see all the people and we love to enjoy beer. On this trip, we checked out a few breweries including Freehouse Brewing (with outside seating for pets) and Holy City Brewing (which we’ve learned no longer allows pets.)

Another key to traveling with a pet is to find a great hotel that does not charge extra for dogs. Ours, when we travel to the Charleston area, is the Hampton Inn in Mt. Pleasant. It is centrally located and offers great rooms for a great price and does not have a pet fee. The staff is also very friendly and always welcomes us back.

After all the adventures and sniffing around, Piggy is often quite tired. We always make sure that we have his crate, extra blankets, food and snacks for him so he feels comfortable. It may seem like a lot to lug up to a room, but, believe me, it is worth it.

Once he is asleep, we always try to make the most of our evenings. On this night, we stopped by Edmund’s Oast for our favorite appetizer, pickled shrimp; then onto a swanky bar called the Cocktail Club for a Negroni; and then we headed to Artisan Meat Share for the Short Grain dumpling pop up. Every bite and sip was delicious.

Piggy and mama at Vintage Coffee.

We try to take Piggy out in the mornings before we check out of the hotel. Our favorite place to go in Mt. Pleasant is Vintage Coffee Cafe. They have great outdoor seating and the coffee is fantastic.

Another tip while traveling with a pet is to remember poop bags. There isn’t a more embarrassing moment than when your dog chooses to go in front of the hotel staff and you don’t have a bag…remember the bags.

The day we head home is always a day filled with activities for Piggy. We usually find at least two parks to enjoy and sometimes we make a stop at the beach on our way home from Charleston. We love getting the extra fresh air and Piggy loves to check out, and pee on, new things.

We love traveling with our pet, but it is a big responsibility. We can’t just go somewhere without considering him. Right now, we are OK with that and hope to spend as much time with him as we can because we don’t know how long we will have him in our lives. Pets are special and we plan on making Piggy’s life special too.