BRUTUS! One of the luckiest dogs we know he has been touring all over the country with us! Brutus is our 11yo Staffy. He came in to our lives in 2014 unexpectedly. Leigh, my other half, had injured himself and was off work. Part of his rehabilitation was to keep active and walk every day. We didn't have a dog at the time so we'd borrow his mum's dog 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 would have him over every day for walks, that turned in to over night stays, sometimes 2 nights. Brutus started to really enjoy our company as much as we enjoyed his. He loved coming to our place so much that he use to escape his place, cross the paddock run around the corner and turn up at our place! In fact, all our neighbours new him because he'd walk the streets and go up to anyone that was out the front for a pat, he'd even go inside if someone had their front door open! Yep! He was even well known for going inside the supermarket! Leigh's mum would often get a phone call saying "I've got your dog again, he's in the supermarket". He would escape any contrapment or Alkatraz prison Leigh's mum had made in the yard to keep him in. She mum lived on a big block of land and he'd take off any chance he got. Even if he was in his lock up outside, he'd find a way out! He was a Houdini back in his day! Leigh's mum eventually gave in and handed him over to us permanently! How could we not keep him? We didn't realise how much we missed having a dog around until we started spending more time with Brutus. He was happy with us, we'd take him everywhere so he couldn't escape. We'd leave him inside if we had to, he was happy there. Leigh would take him to work, we'd even take him to the supermarket, the beach, out for breakfast to cafe's, weekends away, to visit friends and family with us, everywhere. We're his third owners and there is no escaping us!
When we made our decision to travel, we had to take Brutus into account. We were planning on going over seas before we owned him, but he came in to ur lives and I guess you could say, if it weren't for him, we might still be back home, after a few months of traveling over seas, working and running the rat race again. There was no way we could leave Brutus for few months. He'd been passed around enough and he was very content and happy with us. The best decision was to travel around Australia with him. We can see overseas anytime. We have an amazing backyard here in Oz and we wanted to explore it with Brutus.
Traveling with a dog is not always easy, but we always find a way and we always make to work. We'd never traveled around Australia with a caravan before, so we don't know any different. If we want to visit National Parks, we camp close by and do day trips in. We use dog sitters, boarding kennels, vets, rotate days with other dog owners at camp, Doggy Day Care, what ever we can. As long as he's happy and we can still explore what we like. There have been times where we'd walk him really early in the morning then leave him at the crack of dawn, in our well ventilated caravan with all windows open, water and food, we'd be back home by 8 or 9am, he'd still be sleeping anyway. We'd never do this in hot weather and we'd never be more than 4 hrs. We'd even get fellow campers to check on him for us, let him out for the toilet and make sure he's ok. No one ever minds doing that. We're always home by 9am anyway - most people are only waking around then, making breaks sipping coffee.
A trip around Oz sounds appealing right? well it isn't always easy, particularly when setting up camp, when the person in the passenger seat is a better driver, when you're all fished out and all he wants to do is fish, when you have to collect water in town and fill up your tanks with heavy jerry cans, light your fire to cook and keep warm, when you have no wood to do this, when things break and have to be fixed, the list goes on. Brutus has become our peace keeper! He makes us laugh every day and he absolutely loves his new travel life. He is our entertainment, he lightens the mood, and gives us something else to think about, he's a good distraction and he's good motivation. We're never lonely with him around. He wakes us up every morning to let him out so he can watch the sunrise - so naturally, we join him. He gets walked every day which keeps us in shape and gets us all out exploring. He would have to be the happiest he's ever been! He gets free run on all the beaches we stay at, gets to explore the bush and he is out in the wilderness all the time. He sleeps inside with us and he travels well in the car. It doesn't take him long to get use to his new surrounds at each stop, he does a quick lap of the grounds, has a good sniff, get his bearings 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 loving it! He constantly has people approaching him for a pat and chat, sometimes even has his picture taken by random people! ​
He is a pretty laid a back dog but, he also has his struggles. Brutus suffers with bad anxiety. Storms are major a trigger... as well as fire works, he has even had a melt downs over a neighbours bug zapper and once an axe chopping wood! So, 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 easily enough from those. 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. We'd hate for him to get bitten by a snake, hit by a car or have some kind of accident on this trip and have to fork out a small fortune to get him sorted. Pet insurance gives us peace of mind. Also, given that he is 11yo, he will soon start having health issues which can cost a lot in vet visits and medications etc.
We've had some serious laughs at this dog, he is always doing crazy things, getting himself in to silly situations and causing havoc. There is never a dull moment. He always manages to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, once this lead hi to being been sprayed with ink by cuttle fish! He's busted out of our Jayco Swan - through the fly screen, head first & cannon balled on to the ground beneath, missing the draw bar by an inch! He's been sick and given us a snake bite scare - 4hrs from the nearest vet! He's been in the push bike trailer on rough roads and once it even rolled while he was on board. He gave us a scare & had allergic reactions to ants! He came up in welts and his throat and neck started to swell! Lucky enough the vet was a short trip up the road and it was open. He needed an adrenalin shot and some antihistamines that time! Now we always carry antihistamines! He has given us a run for our money and quite a few scares!!!
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 use what ever resources we can. We camp at pet friendly camps, keep him healthy & always manage to find a way to make it work. We have only ever missed one thing. The Pinnacles in Western Australia. We were heading north and had no where close by to take him. 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! I'm sure he will be forever grateful for taking hi with us. He has seen and enjoyed so much on our land, he's now been to every state except Tasmania - which won't be too far away! So if you're thinking about traveling around Australia but aren't sure what to do with your dog, take them with you! We have met so many fellow travellers on the road with their dogs too. You're never alone and your furry friend will love you for it. Just make it work for you and them.
​
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
​
Any questions, please feel free to shoot us a message!
​
Enjoy!!!
​
​
FaceBook page & group: ExploringOzwithadog
​
Follow our Blog profile & keep an eye out for How we travel with a dog and some of out hilarious stories and videos!
​
Enjoy!!!
​