Restricted travel with dogs

tezza n tomoko · Veteran Member

Restricted travel with dogs

Santa · Guru

We travel with our dog, a 12 month old Lab, there are ways around visiting national parks i.e. kennel, dog sitter in a van park or similar, just ask around.

Having said that, it adds to the cost considerably with one dog, multiply x 3? only you know the answer to that question.

justjo · Senior Member

Hi tezza n tomako

I went travelling last year, over 15,000 ks, and didn't take my border collie because of the National Parks etc. It was very easy travelling without Murloc (dog) but I missed him dreadfully. I planned to leave with him this year and just do it a different way, staying more at free camps and bush and beaches rather than parks. I was dissuaded from going North with him because of the amount of baits, especially in WA. A friend of mine had 3 beautiful border collies and two of them took baits whilst he was prospecting. I wont go into details but being so far from any help ment they didn't die well.

I hope that this gives you a little more info to help you decide what to do, I should imagine your kelpies are quite gorgeous.

Happy travelling

Jo

Pinto · Veteran Member

Hi Tezza and Tomako,
We have had the same problem!! We travelled for months with our 11year old Standard Poodle. She was no trouble EXCEPT for separation anxiety and No Dogs in so many places. We gave it time but the solution was not easy. I was ready to have her put to sleep :( But felt so guilty as she was still very healthy and a great , loyal friend. I placed an add in gumtree, not expecting to find a suitable home.... But She is now living happily with another 12 year old Poodle who's mate had died, We are all So happy and she is living life on the beach and very fond of her new doting family. Now no one is missing out. It was a long, hard decision But with a Happy Ending. I can now still look at her photos without feeling I let her down. We only live once so we need to see as much as we can Best wishes and happy Travels, Harry and Ange

tezza n tomoko · Veteran Member

Good Morning Pinto,

Thanks for your thoughts, it is difficult alright our dogs have done nothing wrong and deserve a good decision,it sounds like we are being selfish wanting to visit all these natural wonders and mostly all in some kind of protection zone(national parks etc )but isnt that why we sell our houses and in our case farm and travel, i guess as the time gets closer we will have to decide,if we were just going for a holiday i could have them looked after but we will sell up and our van will be home so wont be retuning at any paticular time,its a tough decision ,sounds like your outcome was good i bet you shed a tear or two when you left ,i think if there were No free camp areas in Australia there would be a lot more people trying to make this decision,any way thank you very much for your input and safe travel to you and family, have a happy day.

JimnKathy · Member

If I we cannot take Sally.. 3 year old Border Collie. We are not going.

GaryKelly · Guru

I'll be a solo traveller when I finally get going, so the notion of having a four legged companion greatly appealed to me... until I bought Camps 4 some years ago and quickly realized the restrictions having a dog would impose. It's not only national parks and other camping places that prohibit dogs but also pubs, restaurants, etc. So I decided that I'd have to rely on fellow travellers for company. At least you don't have to feed fellow travellers. My last dog died over 20 years ago, and I know how attached you can become to a pet. If she were still alive today, I'd probably feel the same as JimnKathy do about Sally. So, if I wanna travel Oz and see as much as I can while I can, I think I'm better off not having one.

pawsoz · Senior Member

Have travelled with dogs for many years with very few problems and they were usually when I needed to saty in or close to a town/city.
In 2006 I did Kimberleys-wa coast-nullarbor-back to darwin I got to see most of the NP's I wanted to without breaking the law!
Soon after pulling out from Kununurra I met up with 4 different groups of people all travelling with dogs and all wanting to do NP's after a camp fire meeting we worked out a way to meet up at various camps just out of the NP's we wanted to visit, once there we took it in turns to go 'in' for a day whilst others dog sat the pack, next day change people and so on, worked well!

As for cafes pubs etc there are so many that welcome dogs outside now, and since the australia wide laws came in this year some are even allowing pets inside....my boys and I prefer to sit outside and the boys take it upon them selves to keep the footpath tidy and clean up all those unsightly crumbs!

I am basically on the road full time now, although as I still have to work I am sometimes camped up for months at a time but would not be without the wizzie whippets in a fit

I can see how it may not be so easy with 3 kelpies though.....perhaps not the breed with all that energy and desire to work?

annie

annrina · Newbie

We went around Aus in 2004, and have done many trips since then spending sometimes as much as 10 mnths in the van, on our first trip around Aus we had a large dog this was harder then as lots of parks only take small dogs, so when that dog went to doggy heaven after a couple of years we got a Poodle, even though we cant do the national parks we would rather travel with a dog than without one. Often when you are staying in dog friendly parks you find like minded people and can work out turns in dog sitting, some parks even look after them for you if they book a tourist trip for you.

herbie · Guru

I would not like to take 3 dogs on a trip around OZ , it is hard enough for people with one dog,you may see a c/ park that reads DOG Friendly but when you turn up with 3 dogs they become very unfiendly towards you...And a lot of people me for one would not want to dog sit 3 dogs for someone. A lot of beaches also now restrict how many dogs one person can walk along a beach with due to people getting set uppone by dogs .

The dog lady · Guru

JimnKathy wrote:
If I we cannot take Sally.. 3 year old Border Collie. We are not going.

I'm with you JimnKathy, my boys wouldn't give me away. I haven't missed out on much as to my mind the roads through NPs are OK, so if I camp outside the NP and drive through without letting my dogs out of the van, then no probs (well, so far so good) biggrin

The dog lady · Guru

pawsoz wrote:
Have travelled with dogs for many years with very few problems and they were usually when I needed to saty in or close to a town/city.
In 2006 I did Kimberleys-wa coast-nullarbor-back to darwin I got to see most of the NP's I wanted to without breaking the law!
Soon after pulling out from Kununurra I met up with 4 different groups of people all travelling with dogs and all wanting to do NP's after a camp fire meeting we worked out a way to meet up at various camps just out of the NP's we wanted to visit, once there we took it in turns to go 'in' for a day whilst others dog sat the pack, next day change people and so on, worked well!

As for cafes pubs etc there are so many that welcome dogs outside now, and since the australia wide laws came in this year some are even allowing pets inside....my boys and I prefer to sit outside and the boys take it upon them selves to keep the footpath tidy and clean up all those unsightly crumbs!

I am basically on the road full time now, although as I still have to work I am sometimes camped up for months at a time but would not be without the wizzie whippets in a fit

I can see how it may not be so easy with 3 kelpies though.....perhaps not the breed with all that energy and desire to work?

annie

I like the way you have it worked out. It does require some small sacrifices, but they're worth it

Spook · Senior Member

I have 4 small dogs and won't leave home without them. They are my best mates.

Drifters · Veteran Member

We travel with our best friends and if they arent welcome we dont go there. Our Chihuahuas are only small so can sleep in the van if needed and we also have a pen with us rather than put them on leads when we are all outside at camps.
Phil & Sue
That is Bam Bam and pebbles in our avatar

hokianga · Senior Member

I wouldn't travel without my furfriends, what little you may miss out on is made up for with their company and unconditional love. A dog is forever.

eureka · Senior Member

I have a furchild, she keeps nip for me while camping out.

Kaid · Guru

My boy is company for me when the MOTH is working.