Travel With Henry: My King Charles Spaniel Cavalier Dog
Henry, my dog, is a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and, from my observations, is bigger than most of his breed. He has been with us since he was a puppy and has ensured that, as soon as he could go out, he experienced people and things. Personality-wise, he is fearless and social with people and other dogs, possibly because of the number of trips out when young. Henry can be obedient but is easily distracted by people and flies; treats snap him back into focus, though.
As long as he has company, this Cavalier can settle anywhere from trains to tents. If tired and sufficiently exercised, he can sleep anywhere, including hotels and hostels. My dog has now visited 14 countries, unless you count England, Scotland and Wales as separate countries. Then he will have done his business in 16.
Countries Visited by Henry
- UK – England, Scotland & Wales
- Netherlands
- Germany
- France
- Austria
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Czech Republic
- Hungary
- Croatia
- Slovenia
- Italy
- Vatican City
- Bulgaria
Henry’s Travel Firsts
There are loads of interesting firsts and experiences this cute cavalier has had in his two years.
The first pub was immediately after his vaccines, at the Gunmakers Arms, which is also home to the Two Towers Brewery. I include this on my dog-friendly Birmingham guide. The first solo holiday was to the Hylton Hound Hotel on the outskirts of Birmingham. Henry enjoyed it very much, and the kennels thought he was excellent and friendly.
The first recommendation from Birmingham came from Ernie, aka @ernpup on Twitter, for a place to eat in Harwich before the night ferry. The first train journey was from Birmingham to Gloucester; all went well except for needing to use the potty halfway and climbing through the window.
The longest adventure was over 4000 miles, a train trip over 40 days from Birmingham to Brașov and back. Lots of potty breaks and meeting great people on the way. The longest individual train trip was the Dresden-to-Maastricht journey in a day, after visiting the vet for a tapeworm treatment to get back into England.
Favourites
Favourite kibble, which supposedly contains yucca to prevent wind and is organic. Made by Harringtons and stocked by many pet shops and supermarkets. He often gets bored with food, so I add cottage cheese, yoghurt or Chicken Licken.
For wet food, Henry loves variety. His new favourite is chappy; he has not turned his fussy nose up at these ever.
Henry enjoys bones but gets very possessive with them, so he is on the naughty step with his bones. I will train him to be less defensive of a bone in the future so he can enjoy it again. This is also the case with sticks; however, he does relinquish them for cold chicken snacks.
The favourite sleeping spot is anywhere Daddy doesn’t sit. I have rewarded him for not sitting where I sit, and he picked up on this well. Henry still seeks heat, as cavaliers have a habit of doing. Thus, he likes to lean on anyone when it’s colder.
His most important toy is a monkey, a funny bully that makes a noise to signal its playtime. Monkey mocks Henry for any mistakes of the day and is quite a comedy character. Monkey’s body has been resurrected 3 times to maintain character consistency. I love playing Monkey and feel his antics are a great way for me to de-stress.
Henry Gallery
Photos of Henry’s travels.
He made himself comfortable in the dog-friendly Travelodge hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon. These are dog-friendly chains that offer very good-value rooms in many locations throughout the UK.
The dog enjoyed a photo break while walking through a vineyard in Kaysersberg in France. This was a very dog-friendly town for him to visit.
Henry is enjoying the beach in Dieppe in Normandy. They have pet-friendly sections of the beach in peak season; otherwise, the whole beach is for walkies.
The beach in Blackpool was great fun for walkies. He even had a paddle and learnt the hard way about waves.
Many UK castles welcome our four-legged friends, including Kenilworth Castle in the West Midlands.
The dog loves the pub, as he usually gets lots of fuss and attention. Sometimes he gets treats, like at The Colmore Tap in Birmingham.
Visiting museums is not a common occurrence for Henry; however, he was welcomed at the Tudor Museum in Stratford-upon-Avon. He also came ghost hunting at the same venue.
He’s not too keen on getting wet, which helped him avoid being tempted to jump out of the boat during a fishing trip in Looe.
Budapest is a great destination for backpacking with the dog. This is Henry posing at one of the city’s popular Instagram spots.
Pecs in Hungary was a great place to visit with the dog, and there were many interesting walks to do. They welcomed him into every restaurant we tried.
Henry enjoyed his first visit to Vatican City but was disappointed not to meet the Pope and receive a blessing from him.
Meeting other King Charles Cavaliers anywhere while travelling is lovely. This time we met a smaller black, white, and tan dog in Rome.
Another day, another capital city to explore on walkies. This time it is the gardens of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, a somewhat carefree, friendly place to visit.
The islands of Croatia are a fantastic destination for dogs. Henry enjoyed exploring the coastline and harbour while in the town. And as a bonus, there were many other friendly dogs about to meet.
Rome was one of the best dog walks that we have done with Henry. He met many other dogs while sightseeing, including some Cavaliers.
Vienna was also a great place to visit with a spaniel, except for all their rules and restrictions.