Visiting Budapest with a Dog

I won tickets to Hard Dog Race Wild. It’s a race and a great challenge for both the owner and the dog along the distance of 12km and with 22 obstacles.

Lili and I had never before taken part in such competition and we hadn’t been to Hungary either. The race was held on Saturday, but we decided to travel to Budapest on Friday.

When you decide to go on a long trip with you dog, it’s good to be prepared. You have to pack the food your dog is already used to, in order to avoid digestive problems. It’s recommended that you protect your dog from internal and external parasites at least fourteen days before travelling. And, like in most other countries, vaccinating your dog against rabies is mandatory in Hungary as well.

We stopped every three hours during our trip, so Lili could stretch her legs and groomed herself. If your pet doesn’t handle driving well, offer them just a little bit of food. And, of course, fresh water must always be available. Despite all this, we still made stops at petrol stations where we got some fresh water for Lili. Subsequently, it took us a little longer to reach our final stop, but the journey is what matters, not the destination.

After arriving in Budapest, the whole thing was quite a shock for Lili, as she had never been to such a large city before with so little grassy areas. We spent Friday exploring the city. Dogs aren’t allowed on the square at the Parliament, but because we didn’t notice the sign, the security guards only gave us a warning. There are special places in the city where dogs can groom themselves. These places are fenced areas, the size of one square metre and filled with sand, and numerous dog parks with obstacles dogs can play with. Some also include running water so dogs can freshen up. However, dogs are not allowed in playgrounds.

Saturday was the day of the race which began for our little furry friend at 1.30 p.m. We already arrived at 10 a.m. in Piliscsév, so we could prepare for the race. The event was well organised and there were more than one thousand participants. We’ve never been to such a large event in Slovenia. Lili did an excellent job overcoming the obstacles, despite the fact that owners aren’t allowed to encourage their pets.

After the race, Lili only needed to poop, and then we both fell sound asleep because we were tired, but in a good way. Sunday was the day when we had to return to Slovenia. We didn’t stop as much on our way back because Lili was constantly asleep, so we got back home quite quickly and safely.

If you don’t have any health issues and if time allows it, I’d recommend participating in a similar competition, where you and your dog can connect with your wild side and experience an incredible journey.

Maja Holer