Me & the Dogs

Dog-friendly travel, tested paws-on 🐾

I usually notice whether a place will work for how we travel long before I notice whether it’s beautiful.

Traveling with two small dogs changes the way I move through places. Sidewalks, parks, waterfront paths, and quiet streets all shape our days more than landmarks do. I tend to notice where movement slows down, where dogs can settle, and where an environment feels manageable rather than overwhelming.

This site grew out of those observations.

Everything shared here comes from places we’ve actually visited — from nearby day trips to longer drives along the East Coast. I focus on what it feels like to move through a place with dogs: the pacing of a walk, where stimulation builds, where dogs can reset, and whether they’re simply allowed or genuinely comfortable.

I’m Pamela Schulz, and I travel with two rescue dogs, Saydie and Archie.

Saydie is drawn to water wherever she finds it — rivers, lakes, tidal creeks, or the edge of the ocean. Archie moves more slowly, committed to inspecting every scent and keeping a careful watch on the local squirrel population.

After many years in New York’s Hudson Valley, we now live in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Much of what I write about grows out of walking here — observing how dogs move through historic streets, waterfront paths, and neighborhoods where stimulation builds and recedes block by block.

Since moving to Alexandria, I’ve also spent time walking dogs professionally. Seeing how different dogs respond to the same streets, parks, and sidewalks has deepened my interest in what actually makes a place workable for dogs — not just technically pet-friendly, but comfortable enough for them to move through with ease.