Talley Your Adventure – The Blog

Hi all! In honor of our beautiful girl, Kiraly Talley, and her legacy we are creating a monthly blog called “Kiki’s Korner” where we will give you advice about traveling with dogs and pets while visiting various American states during the 250 Anniversary of the United States (2026)!

Kiki loved to run, play, and most important – wanted to be around her best friends – US! With this in mind, we will focus on all the places that are dog/pet friendly in this blog post so that you never have to be without your best friend by your side. Clinton and I were fortunate to experience many Adventures with our girl in tow (and the boy, Kyzer, of course!). So…let’s do it! To start with January 2026 – Virginia!

Regardless of the state, at National Parks across the Nation dogs must always remain on a leash no longer than 6ft and you must clean up after your dog! No one wants to step in dog do-do and the last thing you want to deal with is your dog running after a snake and getting bit or a skunk and getting sprayed! Virginia is full of poison ivy and other plants that could be poisonous or bad for your pet to consume. Dogs are also NOT allowed on most trails – only paved areas such as parking lots and sidewalks. Service animals are allowed into buildings but that does not include comfort animals. Be safe and follow these rules – they are there for a good reason! If you want to have your dog roam off leash, find a local community park during off hours while you walk around the field. We live in Chantilly, which has lots of neighboring parks that we are able to bring the dogs for a walk each day. We always follow their local rules and make sure that if we do bring the dogs along the trail, the remain leashed and close to us for others to pass if needed.

Virginia has some of the best hotels for pet owners to stay – and one of the places we highly recommend is the IHG branded hotel Kimpton. They do not charge a pet fee and do not have weight or breed restrictions. This was really nice with Kiraly as she is a German Shepherd, and both our dogs are over 50 lbs. It can be difficult to find a hotel that is accommodating to a bigger dog, but Kimpton has always gone above and beyond for us! They usually give us a treat for the dogs as well as dog bowls upon request. You can sometimes even rent a dog bed! We love the customer service we get at the IHG hotels and know you will too, especially if traveling with your pet!

One of the best things about Virginia in particular is the diversity when it comes to the different seasons, and this was very special to Kiraly. Each season seems almost perfectly spaced out between 3-4 months, allowing for you to get a little bored with the climate before it starts to turn for you – always keeping you on your toes! Snow, falling leaves, regrowth, return of squirrels…all of this and more can be found on your adventure with your pets through Virginia.

We recommend that if you plan to do a scenic drive with your dogs, that you always buckle them up. If traveling with cats, make sure to keep them in a crate or cage! This is for their safety AND yours! Stop frequently to let them out (more than you would on your own) and do not forget to give them water. And, most importantly – have fun! These are memories you will cherish forever with your best friend.