About Us
Aloha!
My name is Rhonda Pollard, activity coordinator for three active, fun-loving dogs here on our beautiful island of Hawai’i. In 2012, I came up with the idea for creating this website because we frequently met dog owners who said there was nowhere on our island to take their dogs. After listing all the places I took our dogs and seeing the surprised look on their faces (and doing this week after week!), I decided our island needed something like this, and so this website idea was born. The name “Lava Dogs Hawaii” is applicable to ALL of our dogs, and it stuck with me from the very beginning when it was just me, my chocolate Labrador Retriever, Kimo, and our friend, Jen Mosby, and her dogs, Guinne and Eller, hiking the MANY miles of various trails in Waikoloa Village. I want to thank Jen and her “lava dogs” for showing me all of these trails. I work full-time as a Human Resource manager for a utility company on Hawai’i Island and own and operate Kahi Ola Mau Farm with my husband on the Hamakua Coast. As of March 2017, I proudly serve on the Hawaii Island Humane Society Board of Directors, and I’m also an Ambassador for my favorite retailer, Dog Is Good, a dog lifestyle company.
Jen with her muttley crew, Eller and Guinne, on the Waikoloa Village Post Office Trail
I pride myself on my thorough research of each location or establishment, confirming (and re-confirming) with the owner, manager, or local government official to make sure I have the most accurate information possible. I realize there are additional places that people take their dogs where they aren’t legally allowed, but you will not see those places listed here. Please let me know if there are other things you would like to see here or that you’d like me to research! As you can imagine, I am extremely busy and active, but I do want to hear from you and will respond to anyone who contacts me!
Due to numerous requests, I have been researching dog-friendly locations on the islands of KAUAI, MAUI, and OAHU to add those to our website. Mahalo to Mokulele Airlines for making such inter-island trips possible with our furry loved ones.
ADVERTISE WITH US: I will place your ad on our Lava Dogs page and promote your business through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! $25 per month. Please send your business ads as a .jpg file to me at rhonda@lavadogshawaii.com. Ad size should be 300 pixels wide X 100 pixels tall (or no more than 300 pixels tall). Mahalo for your support!
Mahalo nui loa,
Rhonda Pollard, Founder and Dog Activity Expert
Pepper was a stray dog we rescued in March 2012. His DNA test says that he’s mostly Shiba Inu, Rottweiler, and Doberman! He’s a cuddlebug, but used to not be fond of feathered animals. We use positive reinforcement to build a trusting relationship with him, which results in the behavior we desire. He’s now more sure of himself and much happier and has blossomed into a well-adjusted companion who accompanies me to dog-friendly events.
Castlecary’s “Kimo” Con Carne is a 5-year-old purebred chocolate Labrador Retriever that was the runt of his litter. He’s our bull in a china shop, loves children and people in general, and wants to be the center of all attention…and hunts avocados. He has gone through Puppy Kindergarten, Paws-Abilities (Paws University) and passed his Canine Good Citizen test.
REST IN LOVE (Adopted 10/25/2014 – Crossed Rainbow Bridge on May 10, 2017) – Margie was a stray that we rescued in October 2014. She had a bladder stone the size of a crab cake when we adopted her, and thankfully the Hawaii Island Humane Society paid for most of the surgery with their “Second Chance” fund. Although she’s over 13 years old, she oversees the farm and enjoys roaming around the property or snoozing on one of her many fluffy dog beds. She was not treated nicely before, so she’s making up for lost time now.
Fluffy is a “foster failure” that we began fostering in July 2017 and officially adopted one month later. She’s one of the 90+ dogs that came from a hoarding situation in Ocean View. When she was picked up by the Hawaii Island Humane Society, she was pregnant. All of her puppies were born healthy and have since been spayed/neutered and adopted into loving homes throughout the Hawaiian islands. Mama Fluffy is now spayed and will no longer have to be tied to a tree and bred over and over again. She’s living a great life with us, running around our farm to her heart’s content and sleeping on our bed. She’s a wonderful girl, very smart, and so FLUFFY! Our best guess is that she is Australian Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix. Read more about how Hawaii Island Humane Society rescued Fluffy: https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2017/05/29/hawaii-news/owner-of-91-dogs-praises-humane-societys-efforts-to-rescue-animals/
