Things to do in Charleston: Paws Around Town

Richard enjoying the view from Joe Riley Waterfront Park in Charleston, South Carolina

We have probably one of the most fun ideas ever when exploring Charleston if you are a dog-lover! Whether you are a resident, a student, or a visitor, this is an excellent idea for anyone who wants to explore Charleston and help out a fantastic organization. The Charleston Animal Society, located on Remount Road in North Charleston, has some great programs within its foster program! They offer two programs within their foster program for anyone who wants to show a dog some love and try to help them get adopted! They provide a doggy field trip where you get to take an adoptable dog out for a day or a doggy sleepover where you get to bring the doggy home for two nights!

We chose the doggy field trip option! The shelter sends your dog with a backpack all packed and ready to go for the day, along with putting an "adopt me" harness on the dog to help find a forever home for them! (If you don't fall in love with the dog first and want to keep them forever). Their backpack comes with a report card for you to fill out at the end of the day, a list of places you can take the dog, treats, toys, water, a collapsible water dish, and info cards to give to potential adopters. They also give you a blanket for your car if you're worried about any dog hair :). We got so lucky with the sweetest dog ever. We ended up with a 2-year-old terrier mix named Richard. He was a pretty big boy at around 68 pounds, but he was the biggest sweetheart!

We started our day by getting him a pup cup at Starbucks, and he absolutely loved it! Next, we took him back to downtown Charleston and explored the College of Charleston campus and King Street with Richard. We took him to meet the firefighters at Central Station, check out the fire trucks, and take a rest and a sip of water under the gazebo in front of their station. We then continued down Meeting Street and headed towards East Bay Street to make our way to Joe Riley Waterfront Park. While Richard was not a huge fan of the fountain and getting wet, he absolutely loved walking down the pier and getting some good views of the Ravenel Bridge. He fit right in with us at Lowcountry Lenses because we did the same! After visiting Joe Riley Waterfront Park with Richard, we headed to the car to take a visit somewhere else. We took him over the bridge and off the peninsula to Mount Pleasant Pier and Waterfront Park at the other end of the Ravenel Bridge. He got to walk around all of our favorite spots and meet lots of new friends as well!!

Richard enjoying his pupachino from Starbucks.

Even though we wish we had more time with Richard, we had such a fantastic day with him and couldn't be happier to get to participate in this program! If you're interested in Richard or have any questions about this program, feel free to contact us via email at lowcountrylenses@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram @lowcountrylenses! Linked below will be Charleston Animal Society's page for fosters and doggy field trips, along with our list of adventure ideas if you choose to take a dog out for a day!

Application

Charleston Animal Society Foster Application

Once you get to this page, fill out the foster application and select paws around town, and you will receive an email with a sign-up for a time slot to pick up a pup!

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Lowcountry Lenses' Doggy Field Trip To-Do List:

• Starbucks for a Pup Cup

• Self-serve dog washing to pamper your pup

• A dog-friendly sporting event (check your local sports teams for specific days or events they allow dogs at)

• Joe Riley or Mount Pleasant Pier and Waterfront Park

• King Street

• Dog-friendly restaurant patio for lunch

• Folly Beach or Isle of Palms

We hope that you will see the value in what the Charleston Animal Society is doing every day, and we encourage you to join the foster program or check out the different ways you can get involved. Also, check out our Instagram and join our mailing list for updates on upcoming events or for more fun things to do in Charleston.

Check out our list of some dog-friendly locations in Charleston:

Parks

Restaurants

Beaches