Coco’s Life on the Ground documents what happens after international travel, once the plane has landed and daily life begins.
This page focuses on how Coco adjusts to everyday life in Italy following travel, including routines, walks, rest, and the small daily transitions that help a small dog feel safe and confident in a new country. These posts reflect real life abroad, not highlight reels.
If you’re new here, this section connects directly to our Home page, which explains the purpose and philosophy behind Coco Goes to Italy, and to What It Takes to Travel Internationally With a Dog, which covers all preparation that must happen before departure.
The blogs in this section focus on post-arrival adjustment, including:
Establishing familiar routines in a new environment
Daily walks, sniffing, and environmental exploration
Rest, decompression, and downtime
Navigating public spaces and local norms
Maintaining consistency while allowing gradual adaptation
Rather than sightseeing or fast travel, the emphasis is on stability, familiarity, and emotional well-being while living abroad with a dog.
International travel doesn’t end at arrival.
For dogs, adjustment happens through time, routine, and predictable patterns. Life on the ground is where confidence is built, trust is reinforced, and unfamiliar places begin to feel safe.
Consistency allows dogs to settle.
Settling allows adaptation.
That process cannot be rushed.
Coco Goes to Italy is built around two distinct phases:
Preparation before travel, covered in What It Takes to Travel Internationally With a Dog
Daily life after arrival, documented here in Coco’s Life on the Ground
Together, these two sections show the full reality of traveling internationally with a dog, from planning and paperwork to walks, rest, and everyday life abroad.
Life on the ground is slower, more intentional, and deeply practical.
This section highlights the emotional and logistical side of living abroad with a dog, showing how patience, consistency, and time allow a new country to feel like home.
Veterinary Planning for Dogs Traveling Abroad
What to Discuss With Your Vet Before an Extended International StayTraveling internationally with a dog, especially for an extended stay, requires more than flights, accommodations, and paperwork. One of the most important steps happens before you ever leave home: having a proactive, intentional conversation with your home veterinarian.Veterinary planning is
The Importance of Planning How to Communicate in Italian Before You Leave
Traveling to Italy with your dog is an incredible experience, but one of the most important preparations has nothing to do with flights, carriers, or paperwork. It’s communication. Planning how you’ll communicate abroad is an often overlooked part of preparing for international travel with a dog. You don’t need to