Our First Trip to Koh Chang with a Dachshund: What I Wish I Had Known

When I told my friends I was taking my dachshund Banh Mi to Koh Chang for four days, half of them said I was brave and the other half said I was crazy. Banh Mi himself had no opinion. He is a red smooth-haired dachshund who walks down Silom like he owns the pavement and wears a blue argyle sweater in air-conditioned rooms. A ferry was not on his list of life experiences.

I started planning three weeks ahead, and I recommend you do the same. The first lesson was that the word pet-friendly means very different things in Thailand. Some places allow dogs but only in a few rooms, some allow only small ones, and some will say yes on the phone and no at the desk. I messaged four resorts, asked about size limits, extra fees and whether he could be left alone in the room, and picked a small family-run bungalow place on the west side with a fenced garden. I asked for the answer in writing.

We drove from Bangkok to Trat with a stop every two hours. Banh Mi rode in a harness fitted to a car seat belt, with a small blanket that smelled like home. I brought a collapsible bowl, bottled water, wipes, a towel, his vaccination booklet and the number of a vet in Trat. Our own vet had told us that a dog should not eat a big meal before a trip, and that I should have a quiet chat with her if he gets very anxious in cars. So breakfast was small.

The ferry was the part I worried about, and it was actually easy. Dogs are allowed on the car deck or on the upper deck with their owner, on a short lead or in a carrier. Banh Mi shivered for the first five minutes, then discovered that the sea breeze smelled wonderful and spent the crossing on my lap, head over my arm, ears blowing back like a small pilot.

The island was a joy. We walked on the shore early in the morning and in the evening, when the sand was cool, and spent the afternoon in the room with the air-con. Banh Mi hated the wet sand, rolled in the dry sand, and finished the trip looking like a sausage coated in breadcrumbs. We washed his paws every night and checked his belly for sand sores.

Next time I would bring more towels, a shade tent and patience. And I would book the return ferry earlier. But for a first trip, it was a great one. Banh Mi is already asking, in his way, where we go next.