Meet Enzo the Frequent Flyer Dog of Dubai

Meet Enzo, the dog on a mission to sniff out the world’s wonders! Join us for an exclusive chat with this adventurous canine as we uncover his tales of tail-wagging travels that have captured the hearts of dog lovers in the UAE and beyond!

We had a chance to interview Enzo`s Pawrents to know more about Enzo and their experience traveling

Get to know Enzo the Frequent Flyer

1.Tell us a bit about Enzo and how he became a part of your family.

Enzo is a 3-year-old Italian greyhound boy. He came to us as a 4-month-old puppy in 2020.

Over the years, my husband and I have rescued 3 dogs and 2 cats. After we lost our dogs, and were left with only cats, Enzo came as a surprise birthday present from my husband. This breed has always been my dream, and in 2020 this dream came true.

Enzo was born in Spain, and due to the limited international flight availability due to the pandemic, we had to wait for him for a couple months. He finally joined our family in October 2020.

*Enzo loved watching the ducks on the water and exploring the quirky streets in Portsmouth, Devon*

2. Traveling with a dog can be an adventure. How did the idea of traveling with Enzo come about, and what inspired you to take him along on your journeys

Enzo is very attached to us, he is a typical velcro dog – very clingy and wants to be with us all the time. When we first got him in 2020 we tried a few different daycares, so he could meet other dogs and socialize, but he hated them all. He likes to play with certain dogs one on one, but he gets anxious in large groups.

When we started planning our summer holiday the following year, it was clear to us that Enzo could not be left behind in a boarding facility. We looked into the logistics of taking him with us to Europe, and decided that this option was the best for our family.

*Posing outside of the Parliament building in Budapest*

While there is extra cost and inconvenience associated with taking him with us, we would not be able to rest peacefully knowing that he is in stress, had we left him behind. If we go for a short vacation (less than 2 weeks) we just hire someone to stay with him at our house, but anything longer, he comes with us.

3. Can you share some of the destinations you’ve traveled to with him? Are there any places that stood out as particularly dog-friendly?

We have been to Hungary, Estonia, The Netherlands, England and have transited through Finland, and Turkey. Hungary is where we spend most of our time in the summer, and it is refreshing to see how dog friendly Budapest is.

People in Hungary love dogs, and most restaurants and coffee shops allow well behaved dogs to join their owners. In addition, shopping malls, all parks and greenbelts are dog friendly as well.

4. Every traveler has their favorite destination. What’s Enzo’s top travel spot, and what makes it special for both him and your family?

Our families are split between the UK, Estonia and Hungary, and we enjoy travelling to those places – however, it is quite a hassle to travel to the UK with a dog and requires a bit of planning. But totally worth the effort as we love exploring the beautiful nature that Devon has to offer.

*Enzo’s first time in London. The city is relatively dog friendly, and we could do a lot of sight seeing with him. Dogs are allowed on the public transportation for free which was great!*

5.Traveling often leads to unique and memorable experiences. Could you share one of your most heartwarming or funny travel stories involving Enzo?

We were initially worried about how people would react when they see Enzo on the plane in the cabin, or at the airport when we have a connecting flight. It turns out we needed not to worry!

Most people are very friendly and love seeing a four-legged traveler on their flight. We always get compliments on how well behaved he is and having him with us is a great conversation starter with strangers, as his cute face peeking out of his carrier just melts everyone’s heart.

Waiting for our connecting flight at Istanbul Airport. This is a truly dog friendly airport, where dogs are allowed to walk around on a leash, enter the lounge and shops, and they also have a pet toilet for the four legged travelers

6. Traveling with a pet sometimes can be challenging. What are some tips or advice you’d give to fellow pet owners who want to embark on adventures with their furry friends?

This is so true – our social media may make it look super easy, but traveling with a pet requires a lot of organization, advance planning and extra cost! Enzo’s Mum is a veterinarian, so she has had the experience to deal with the official international paperwork that is required for travel, but pet import and export in and out of the UAE is actually extra complicated.

*We loved exploring Manchester with Enzo, and of course he had to pose outside the Manchester United Stadium*

I would say this is the number one thing that owners need to look into when they are planning a trip. There are many relocation agencies available in the UAE that can help people with the official paperwork, but the truth is that everything can be organised by the owners, once they learn what is required.

Once we started posting our travels on social media, hundreds of people from the UAE started sending us messages, inquiring about the procedures. We are always happy to help everyone, but to make it easier, this summer we published e-books that outline the step-by-step process of pet import and export in and out of the UAE. People can download these e-books on our website:

https://enzos-escapades.myshopify.com

Pet With It readers can get a discount by using the code “PETWITHIT” for 20% off!

7. Enzo’s Instagram account seems to have a lot of followers who love seeing his adventures. How has sharing his journey on social media impacted your travels and your connection with other pet owners?

Initially, Instagram was just a fun way to document Enzo’s adventures, then one of our reels went viral with over 12 million views, it was featured on multiple broadcast channels and news magazines, which meant that Enzo got famous basically overnight.

*Enzo in his element at the Dubai Desert. Camping in the desert is one of our favorite winter activities*

It has been a fun adventure ever since. We love connecting with like-minded people from around the world, and share our experiences on traveling with a pet. Interestingly most of our followers are from the USA, with the second largest group of people from the UAE. Having his account so popular, we feel the responsibility to post about our travels, the good and the bad, the wins and the struggles, to help people when they are planning their travel.

We have lots of free information on our Instagram on travel in and out of the UAE, how to enter the UK with a dog in cabin, or how to prepare your dog for a long flight.

8.Lastly, can you let us in on any upcoming travel plans or adventures you have in mind for Enzo? Any exciting destinations on the horizon?

We don’t have anything planned until next summer – both Enzo’s pawrents have demanding, full time jobs 🙂 However we are planning a longer break next year, and plan to travel to Italy and Spain. We have been in touch with Enzo’s full sibling who lives in Spain, and would love to have them reunite.

We were quite shocked when we realized we needed to buy a thick winter jacket for Enzo during our summer vacation in beautiful Estonia. Temperatures were around 15 degrees Celsius with heavy rain in August

Stay tuned for that! Until then Enzo has some photo shoots and video appearances scheduled in town, and we stay active in the UAE with lots of trips camping in the desert, hiking in the mountains and visiting dog friendly cafes and restaurants. We document all of these adventures to help UAE pet owners to plan adventures with the fur babies.

You can follow Enzo`s adventures here: https://www.instagram.com/enzos.escapades/

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If you loved this article, you will also love reading our eBook Dubai Ruff Guide

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