We are excited to be putting on “Bark To The ’80s,” a dog-friendly event on Saturday, September 30th from 4-8pm at The Shops at Mauna Lani! Big MAHALO to our event sponsors: HIHS Advocate & Media Sponsor: The Pet Gal; HIHS Partner Sponsor(s): Big Island Mobile Vet Services, Pawniolo Pets, Petamorphosis, and Kapa’au Veterinary Center. Dress up your pup (and yourself!) in RADICAL ’80s fashion and enter our costume contest that happens at 5:30pm (Register at event, suggested $10 donation to Hawaii Island Humane Society), check out all of our local pet-related vendors, including pet nutrition specialists, veterinarians, animal behaviorists, pet boutiques, meet some adoptable dogs from Hawaii Island Humane Society, and even learn about a dog-friendly hotel for that much-needed staycation with your pup! After all that walking and shopping, stop by the VIP (Very Important Pet) Lounge courtesy of our “furiends” at Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate office for some water for you and your pups…or grab a local beer from our pals at Island Hopper Taproom, a dog-friendly taproom and sports bar! Sponsorships and vendor booths are still available for this event that will benefit Hawaii Island Humane Society. Check out our photos from our 2020 event, 2nd Annual My Furry Valentine: Facebook photo album of all the fun we had: pet-related pop-up shops, dog groomers/trainers, beer garden, Valentine themed doggie costume contest, photo booths, food booths, and pet adoptions. Also, check out the photos from our 2019 event!
Aloha and mahalo for viewing my website of everything dog-related on the Big Island (and currently adding the other Hawaii islands!). I began gathering information for this site in 2011 and take great pride in bringing our viewers the straight scoop on where people can take their dogs. The top menu bar contains various topics and drop downs. There is a LOT of information, so please spend time going through each item, so that you can know everything you need before you go to that location.
RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNERSHIP - Part of the purpose of this website is to promote responsible dog ownership. We can all agree that Hawaii can be challenging for dog owners in trying to find places to take our dogs. When we do our part and take our dogs only to places where dogs are allowed, keep them on leash, pick up after them, remove them from a bad situation when necessary, and treat them with kindness, it shows that we can be trusted. Each of us has a responsibility to do our part, but also to help others understand, so that more legislation is passed in Hawaii to allow dogs in more places. We set the example.
We have some AMAZING people and businesses on this island: dog trainers, groomers, dog-friendly restaurants and farmers' markets, and we can't forget about the way people come together when an animal or group of animals need to be rescued. I ask each one of you out there to volunteer or donate to our island animal rescues and please invest in proper dog training and grooming. Continuous dog training is paramount to being a responsible dog owner and helping make Hawaii more dog-friendly.
I'm also the President of the Friends of the Waikoloa Village Dog Park, which was formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit group in early 2018. We were meeting once per month and working with the County Parks & Recreation to open the first dog park within an existing Hawai'i County park (at Kamakoa Nui County Park), but since that time, the County has added the dog park to the FY2022-23 capital budget and 6-Year CIP (thanks to then Councilman Tim Richards). If you'd like to talk story about dogs, feel free to email me at Rhonda@lavadogshawaii.com. Visit us also on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and events.
GET INVOLVED: The Hawaiian Humane Society has long advocated for a more pet-friendly community in support of the growing importance of the human-animal bond in the lives of our local families. Many Hawaii businesses have adopted pet-friendly policies in recognition of the role of pets as family members. Restaurant owners, however, are prevented from adopting pet-friendly policies by health code interpretations that prohibit animals other than service dogs.
To succeed, this bill will need enthusiastic community support. We need Hawaii residents who are willing to champion the cause of a more pet-friendly Hawaii. We need business leaders, within the food-service industry and beyond, who are willing to support giving restaurant owners the ability to best serve their customers.
