Amy and Rod Burkert created GoPetFriendly.com to help their users to enjoy extraordinary travel experiences with their pets. They believe it should be simple and hassle-free to include your furry loved ones in all of your leisure activities.

The idea for GPF originated in 2008 after they found “Buster” – an intimidating, yet shy and fun-loving black German Shepherd – behind a construction dumpster in the cul-de-sac of their neighborhood. After having no luck trying to locate Buster’s owners, they decided to try and assimilate him into their own family, which included a 3 ½ year-old Shar-Pei “Ty,” who was not happy about the new addition.

After working with several trainers, Ty eventually accepted Buster as a member of the family and now the two are like typical brothers – playing, cuddling, and “barking” at each other.

With both dogs comfortable and happy, the Burkerts decided to plan a trip for the entire family to enjoy. However, what they thought would be fun and easy ended up being a daunting and time-consuming task. Trying to find acceptable accommodations with pet policies that met their needs was a hassle. Locating restaurants that would allow Ty and Buster to join them and activities the whole “pack” could enjoy together was yet another challenge.

Rather than give up on the idea of “family” vacations, the Burkerts decided to create GoPetFriendly.com so that they and others could enjoy vacationing with their pets. Their goal is to connect pet lovers with businesses and service providers that will help make their travel experiences with their furry friends exceptional. They believe that if it is easier for people to travel with their pet more pets will get to go on vacation, and that will encourage more businesses to “Go Pet Friendly.”