Living with a dog on the big island

[Tenzo]

Ironically, A great way to meet people is with the dog

[onehawaii1]

Here is the best site for all animal questions. Check out www.hawaii.gov/ai/aqs/info (broken link)
Good luck.

[OpenD]

Yes, bringing a dog will seriously cramp your style coming to Hawai'i for a month. I don't know why anyone hasn't just come out and said that. It will limit your choices of places to go and things to do. Leaving the dog in the car while you go shopping or to nice restaurant is never recommended due to the risk of heat exhaustion. Some beaches prohibit dogs, and it's hard to find out which ones they are until you get there.

Truth be told, I see fewer dogs out with owners here than almost anyplace I've ever been. And that's great for me, because I'm one of those people who is very uncomfortable having dogs around eating places, or running loose on beaches. And I wound up being comped for a hotel stay not long ago when it turned out a previous guest had contaminated the room by sneaking a dog in, which triggered an allergy attack for me. It wasn't fun, and it was totally thoughtless on the part of the dog owner.

And frankly, spending $1,000 and going through the whole quarantine process to bring a dog with you for a month, no matter who is picking up the tab, strikes me as seriously bonkers.

Do your dog a favor, do yourself a favor, and do me a favor and leave poochie at home.