BRUTUS! Perhaps one of the luckiest dogs we know, touring all over the country with us! 

Brutus is our 11yo Staffy. He came in to our lives in 20 unexpectedly. Leigh had injured himself and was off work, part of his rehab was that he had to walk. We didn't have a dog at the time so he'd borrow his mum's dog Brutus for a walking buddy. We had unfortunately lost our previous dog to cancer six months prior. Brutus is her brother from the same litter. Leigh's mum let us have him every day for walks and over night stays. She'd often comment on how happy he was with us. He'd even escape her place and come trotting over to our place across the paddock and around the corner! One day, Leigh's mum turned around and said 'he's so happy with you, and you're so happy with him, why don't you keep him permanently?" And that was that. We did! How could we say no?  

 

He has become the peace keeper, a laugh a day and he absolutely loves our new travel life. He is the happiest he's ever been! He gets free run on all the beaches we stay at, he gets to explore the bush and he is out in the wilderness all the time. He sleeps inside the van, he travels well in the car, he just sleeps on the back seat which he has to himself. He gets use to his new surrounds at each camp quick enough. He does a quick lap of the grounds, has a good sniff and he's happy. He took a few weeks to adjust to the van, the noises at night and frequently new surrounds, but he's certainly well adjusted now and he is loving it! 

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He is laid back he loves the beach, watching the sunrise and set every day, he enjoys a good sunbake, exploring new surrounds, meeting new people on our travels, he loves cheese and is obsessed with balls. 

 

But, we also have our struggles with him. Brutus suffers with bad anxiety. Storms are major a trigger... as well as fire works, loud noises even bug zappers or an axe chopping wood! He has medication for his anxiety which we need to give before a storm hits, the rest of his triggers aren't as severe, he calms quite quickly from those.

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We've had our fair share of vet visits on this trip so we now have pet insurance. PetMed is the only insurance company in Aus that will insure a dog over the age of 10! We're covered for 65% of costs - which is great for an 11 yo dog! Before we took out the cover, he had no health issues. 

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Brutus is the such a funny, loving and loyal dog. He has been great company on this trip. We have never been lonely with just the three of us! He constantly has people approaching him for a pat and chat, sometimes even has his picture taken by random people! 

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We've had some serious laughs at this dog, he honestly doesn't even know his funny. He's been sprayed with ink by cuttle fish, he busted out of our Jayco Swan - through the fly screen almost axing himself on the draw bar! He's been sick nd given us. snake bite scare - 4hrs from the nearest vet, he's been in the bike trailer when it rolled, his had allergic reactions to ants and needed an adrenalin shot at the vet! He has given us a run for our money!!!

 

People often ask how we go travelling with a dog, "what do you miss out on?" "what do you do with National Parks?" "how do you travel with a dog?" We just make it work. We do what we can, when and where we can. We network, we alternate days with fellow campers to mind each others dogs, we use pet sitters, we use dog kennels, doggy day care, you name it! We always find a way to make it work. We have only ever missed one thing where we were stuck with no where to go and that was the Pinnacles in Western Australia. Everywhere else has been great. We honestly wouldn't have it any other way and we both agree, that this trip just would't be the same without him! 

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You can follow our blogs for posts or keep up to date with where to camp with a dog on our FaceBook page & group ...

ExploringOzwithadog

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Any questions, please feel free to shoot us a message!

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Enjoy!!!

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