Aloha~ Surprise, I just got back from Kauai! Yes, after 2 months in Japan I then went to Hawaii for 7 days LOL (this is definitely a year of travel!). And now that I’m back from all the travels, I fully intend to return to being 100% active on the blog so please look forward to lots of posts 💕

Now anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE all animals but especially doggies!! And when my girlfriend suggested we rent a dog for a day, my heart was already bursting from the anticipated cuteness hehehe~ Here’s what to expect when taking a Kauai Humane Society shelter dog out of its kennel for a day full of adventure, fun, and of course, tons of pets! This amazing program helps dogs to get assimilated to going out and socializing with other humans, which in turn helps them to get adopted (the end goal!).

Step 1: Get Your Dog!

• You can book a “field trip” with the Kauai Humane Society online (link)
• It is $40 to to take the dog on a field trip (which is funny because it was free that week for us to adopt one LOL) but the proceeds 1) help the shelter and benefit the animals and 2) it also protects the dogs by deterring any crazies/weirdos from renting them who might abuse them

Tip: Book your field trip in advance so you can grab an early slot to pick up your dog. Everyone has to return the dog by 5PM (their dinner time), so the earlier you pick them up, the more time you have with them!

You do get to choose your dog, so don’t worry if you have any apprehensions — I’m sure they can find a dog that will be perfect for you. We asked to take whichever dog needed to be taken out the most and they gave us a stray that was brand new to the shelter and I am honored to say that we got to take him out for his very first field trip outing!! Everybody, please meet CORMAC!!!

Isn’t he sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!!

Tip: If you are particular, just let them know your preference! I think it’d be better for both you and the dog to have a smooth day. I.e. if you want a 8 pound tiny dog versus a beefy 80 pound pit bull; maybe you have specific plans and want a dog that can hike well or a dog that likes water to play with on the beach versus a calm lap dog so you can work on your laptop all day; or if you have allergies, I’m sure you can ask for a dog that doesn’t shed! They do also take care to rotate through the dogs to ensure they all get a chance to go out! 👍🏻

Step 2: Have The Best Day Ever~

Then, all you have to do is shower the dog with so much love!! Which isn’t hard to begin with, but KHS makes it even easier for you. They give you a backpack full of everything the dog will need (toys, water + water bowl, poop bags, and a bag full of treats that they want you to use the entirety of!) and a list of recommended trails, beaches, and other places to take the dog to.

Cormac had no idea of the day ahead, full of fun and adventures to be had 🙂

Tip: We took Cormac to the listed Sleeping Giant Trail but I wouldn’t recommend it. There’s a part where you have to carry the dog on super small steps and it’s very dangerous to do (my girlfriend managed to do it but she’s a beast), so your hike may be cut short.

We took Cormac on a hike (he was a freakin’ STAR), rested in our hotel (he loved the AC and was so cute when he fell asleep so comfortably in our room), then to the beach (he didn’t love the water but he loved digging in the sand!), and we went to every person that looked his way so he could get alllll the pets (he was LOVING it and I was just a walking/talking billboard telling everyone he’s up for adoption!). At the end when he was tired, him and I laid in the grass and he cuddled right on top of me. It was so sweet and such a heartfelt moment that I will never forget. By this point, I had already started crying LOL.

Tip: Cormac is still a puppy so he definitely had spurts of energy where he got himself all tangled up in the leash (he didn’t seem to mind though, he was just a happy cutie). But a very helpful protip my girlfriend shared is to hold the leash up / on top of them, that way when they start dashing and going cray they’re just like a spintop dreidel under the leash. The leash will just twirl instead of wrapping all around them.

Step 3: Bring Back A Happy, Tired Good Boy/Girl

And then when it’s about that time…you’ll head back to the shelter, fill out a report card as to how they did, and cry your eyeballs out as you give them back LOL. Even though it was so sad for me LOL, I was also so happy that Cormac had the best day ever and I knew he would have a great sleep that day. And while I couldn’t take him home with me (I sooooo would have taken him with me, but I already have TaiTai and he’s very scared of other dogs lol), I can’t imagine he will be in the shelter for much longer because he is such a handsome, cutie good boy that everyone falls in love with instantly.

Tip: Before returning them, don’t forget to feed them all of their treats if you haven’t already! They want you to give them the whole bag! 🙂

Step 4: Support Your Local Shelter or the Kauai Humane Society!

Michael always thinks I’ll open a shelter myself one day, but I don’t think I can handle it consider I cried giving back Cormac after only spending 5 hours with him LOL. But there are so many ways you can support your local shelters! From what I can see, the Kauai Humane Society is doing a really fantastic job and they are a NO KILL shelter (they’ve had zero kills and do everything they can to maintain a no kill status!) so please support if you can! Here are some ways you can help.

1. ADOPT – Even if you don’t live in Kauai, they will ship them to you!! They’re holding a special right now where you can get them to the mainland for an all-inclusive $200 price which even includes the shipping kennel, animal flight cost, all their starter shots, food, leash, adoption fee, and more! That’s such a GREAT price, I think we paid $250 just for TaiTai and none of that extra stuff. They’re also offering an additional $100 certificate if you take home a kitty or cat (they have an overload of felines).
2. FOSTER – If you can’t adopt, fostering will help so much because the Kauai Humane Society is the only shelter on the island so they definitely need the help and the space. For cats, our boating captain told us they usually will give you kittens once they turn 4 weeks old until they turn of age at 8 weeks, so you get them at the BEST age when they are so cute and easy before they go psycho like cats tend to do xD
3. TAKE THEM ON A FIELD TRIP – If you are planning a trip to Kauai anytime soon, please reserve a day to take out a doggie! I loved it so much, I wanted to go back the next day to take Cormac on another field trip LOL.
4. DONATE – And if you can’t make it to Kauai, you can of course donate or help from afar~ Check out the Kauai Humane Society website for other ways you can help.

And here are Cormac’s model pics on his adoption page!! I hope someone I know decides to adopt him so I can visit, hehe.

Tip: Follow them on Instagram @kauaihumanesociety to stay up to date on your field trip doggo and see all the good the shelter is doing! If your animal is no longer showing up on the “Animals Available” site then it means they’ve been adopted! If you’re lucky, you might be able to find their new owner tagged or in the comments of their Instagram so you can follow them in their new life. I’m definitely keeping an eye out for Cormac’s new owner~

If you want to see more of Cormac, he has his own story highlight on my Instagram page! Thanks for reading, everybody!