First Service Dog Allowed Inside Machu Picchu

This photo was taken in Machu Picchu, PE. Complicated regulations seemingly prohibited the entrance of certain service dogs inside Machu Picchu, but this U.S. veteran found a way.

U.S. Air Force veteran Melanie Boling requires the assistance of a service dog ever since suffering a stroke in 2018. A work trip to Peru for Boling’s non-profit brought about the opportunity for her and her German Shepherd, River Roux, to visit Machu Picchu.

Yet the regulations in Peru for the entrance of service dogs in touristic sites was difficult to interpret. Boling was told that emotional support animals were not allowed to go up to Machu Picchu, only guide dogs. Both fall under the service dog umbrella, and Boling had to prove dependence on her dog.

Though Boling was given clearance and made it up to the citadel, guards and police continuously stopped the duo. Why? Because they had never seen a service dog among the Inca ruins. They all wanted photos with the duo.