With the increase in use of service dogs and pet therapy for things such as seizures, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, vision impairments and even hospital pet therapy, dogs are beginning to be accepted in to more and more places. Trends are also increasing for dog friendly business; loads of cafe's accept dogs, restaurants, there are dog friendly caravan parks, off leash dog parks, dog friendly botanical gardens, beaches, even Bunnings Warehouse stores AND believe it or not, the National Park in Belair, Adelaide S.A is dog friendly! We have been amazed at how the trend of dog friendly places in Australia is increasing. So before you ditch your best mate and take off, how about making the trip work for everyone? If you're willing to be flexible, you might even enjoy your trip that little bit more by having your best mate by your side.
We've been traveling around Oz since May 2016 with our dog Brutus & we wouldn't have it any other way. He is loves being in the outdoors with us. He can explore the land, take in all the new surrounds and smell all the new scents. He gets to wake up every morning and enjoy the warmth of the sun as it rises, he gets to be our alarm clock; our protector, he makes us laugh every day and he keeps the peace between us when life has its stressful moments on the road. He is the reason we chose to see what our incredible country has to offer and travel around Australia. There was no way we could leave him behind, he gives us the sad look even when we go to the supermarket without him, I couldn't imagine what he'd do if we did the big lap without him!
Traveling with a dog isn't as difficult as what people think. We made the decision before we left home, that we'd do what ever it takes to make it work. We'd stay at dog friendly camps, visit dog friendly places and have him looked after if ever we were visiting places dogs aren't welcome, and if that wasn't possible, we'd go somewhere else. Since we began our travels, we've come across a lot of people doing there big lap, who chose to leave their dogs behind. Some are happy with their decision, some feel guilty for leaving them. There are a lot of negative ideas about traveling with a dog "it's too hard"; "I'll miss out on too much"; "it's too restricting" "but what about the national parks?" We've heard it all. But you know what? If you have the opportunity to travel Australia EVER, make it happen! Make it work for you. Never mind what naysayers say, traveling Oz is different for each and everyone of us. If you want to take your dog or if you have no other option, don't nock back the opportunity, just make it work. You may have to make sacrifices, you may have to camp in places you wouldn't if you didn't have your dog with you, but that doesn't mean you can't travel around Australia at all. So get out there, start planning, take your dog with you and enjoy what this amazing country of ours has to offer!
We've put together some useful tips and a list of recommendations that might help to get you out there living your dream and ExploringOz with your dog.
HAPPY READING AND SAFE TRAVELS ... and hit us up with any questions you might have, we're always happy to help where we can OR if you have any websites, services, vets etc you can recommend, please let us know so we can add to the list!!
WHERE TO STAY?
WikiCamps Australia
Do yourselves a favour and download the WikiCamps Australia app to your devise. This app highlights loads of amazing places to stay and informs you of weather they're dog friendly or not. You can filter your search so that only dog friendly places show up, or you can check out the info by clicking on the location on the Maps 'view'. We live by this app when choosing places to stay. You can hit 'directions' and it can direct you through google maps to your selected location. It's that easy.
Hema Maps
Hema Maps is another great tool we use which highlights areas of interest, camps and weather dogs are accepted there or not. This app is great for when you're off road and in remote areas, its ran via GPS and has all the off road tracks in Oz.
Camps Australia
Camps Australia is also a great book which show great camps in Australia and it highlights weather they're dog friendly or not.
WHEN VISITING NATIONAL PARKS
National parks don't allow dogs, but there are so many amazing National Parks you won't want to miss, so what do you do? Stay close by. When possible we camp close by to National Parks so that we can head in and explore for day trips.
There are a lot of options if you need to have your dog looked after so you can explore;
- ASK
Ask fellow campers with dogs who are staying at your camp if they'd be interested in minding your dog for a day and you will return the fair for them. We're all in the same boat and most people are more than happy to exchange dog sitting days.
- FACEBOOK.
Yep, FaceBook is a great resource to use when looking for local dog sitters. There are community notice boards you can ask to join and loads of local businesses advertised. We've even joined community notice boards and posted a shout out to see if someone in the area could mind our dog for a day, we're blown away at the response and how generous people can be.
- INFORMATION CENTRES
Information centres can be helpful. The staff know all the local business in the area and can help to point you in the right direction if you need to have your dog looked after for a day or overnight.
- YOUR HOST
Caravan Parks can also recommend where to take your dog while you do a day trip. some caravan parks even offer dog minding services.
- VET
The local vet will often allow pet minding for a day or overnight stays.
SAFETY
The health and safety of your dog while you travel is also important. Before leaving on your journey, be sure to take them to the vet and have all your flea, tick, worming treatment and vaccinations up to date. Make sure you inform your vet of your plans and follow up on any recommendations they make. We have our 11 yo staff checked up at vets every 6 months while traveling, just to keep an eye on things and because of his age.
PET INSURANCE
Pet insurance can also be a good investment if you're traveling, vets in remote areas can charge a lot of money and if they have an accident or emergency - snake bite, heat stroke, injury or illnes, it can cost a small fortune to have them fixed up. PetMed is Australia's only pet insurance that insures pets over 9 years old. We've got our boy insured under them, making claims is simply done over the internet and money is deposited in to our account. Its easy to use while traveling and gives us peace of mind.
HELPFUL WEBSITES
permed.net.au is the pet insurance we use
australiawidefirstaid.com.au you can do a crash course in pet first aid if you're keen
VETS;
Darwin litchfieldvet.com.au
Adelaide Hills hillsvet.com.au
Brisbane fortitudevalleyvet.com.au is a fantastic vet in Brisbane, their website is packed with information on heatstroke, first aid and helpful hints that you might find useful.
PET MINDING SERVICES;
Adelaide Hills hillsvet.com.au offer doggy play care - air conditioned and staffed the entire time so dogs are never left un attended
Darwin furry.com.au the Furry God Mother Pet Resort in Darwin has air conditioned boarding kennels, dogs are well cared for and the staff are more than helpful.
HAPPY TRAVELS!
