The Bougie Beagle & Nala, the Unexpected
We didn’t really debate it. When we moved, the dog was coming too, end of story. And so our rather self-assured beagle became one of the more pampered passengers in recent memory, travelling to Zambia in the careful hands of Global Paws.
It was, by any ordinary measure, an indulgence. But on the long list of logistical complexities that come with moving countries, simply having the dog “sorted” felt like a small but significant win. One less moving part. One less thing to worry about. Just make sure to triple check the vaccine requirements.
When we travel, our dogs retreat to Paw Modzi. I genuinely can’t recommend it enough if you want happy, loved, and properly cared-for hounds. It’s one of those places where you leave them and don’t spend the entire trip mentally checking in.
Veterinary care, too, is woven into the fabric of daily life here. Dogs, horses, and everything in between feel like part of the landscape rather than an exception to it. Dr Tommy Asinga at Loving Hand Veterinary Clinic has been fantastic, so much so that he even collected our beagle from the airport on arrival.
And then there is the second dog, Nala. She arrived via an accidental farm romance that ended (as these things often do) in a litter of puppies suddenly in need of homes. There was one picture, one message, and a quiet ask for a loving home. What followed was a decision that didn’t feel like a decision at all. She arrived and simply settled, as if she had always been there. There is a particular kind of inevitability to animals who choose you before you have fully realised it.
Along the way, we’ve also encountered organisations doing quietly essential work. Lusaka Animal Welfare Society and The AARC are ensuring that rescue, fostering, and adoption remain active, practical lifelines for animals who need them.
The bougie beagle and Nala the unexpected really sum it up: travelling with pets, collecting them along the way, and loving them is one of the few genuinely easy elements of life out here.
All the details:
Dr. Tommy Asinga
+260 960 350 460
Loving Hand Vet Clinic, Leopards Hill Rd, Lusaka
Side note: Your dogs can also get groomed at the vet.
