We travelled extensively with our Golden Retriever.  Could count on one hand the van parks that wouldn't allow him.  Never seen a NO DOGS sign at a free camp.

National Parks are a no no, not because anyone doesn't like dogs (pets) more because of disease etc that can be introduced.  Also pets po & wee & this can disturb the natural fauna in the park.

Cheers Neil

A kindred spirit I think.  So lovely that you've rescued a "senior".   My dog was a stray & after being unable to locate her owner, I couldn't bear to part with her.  She's my best mate & goes everywhere with me.  

I too have come across parks that do not allow dogs, mostly the bigger coastal parks.  The other annoying thing they do is that they allow dogs except in peak times like Xmas & S/Hols.  I tend to stick to the smaller family run parks - better service, cheaper, not so crowded and usually dogs OK.  Also showgrounds are a great option.

Not much you can do about N.P's.  You can drive through them with a dog if the road is a public road I believe e.g. The Great Alpine Rd & the Alpine Way.  You just can't let them out.

Nope, Dorian, I do not agree. I don't have to "be grateful" for the acceptance.

I have a dog, but I might be disabled, or be gay or lesbian, or be Jewish or Asian or Aboriginal , or an atheist or mormon or muslim.............. no one should have to be "grateful" for acceptance.

Rip and Rosie wrote:

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Nope, Dorian, I do not agree. I don't have to "be grateful" for the acceptance.

I have a dog, but I might be disabled, or be gay or lesbian, or be Jewish or Asian or Aboriginal , or an atheist or mormon or muslim.............. no one should have to be "grateful" for acceptance.

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 Love you Rosie. I am not upset that there are parks that do not accept dogs. I am upset that there are so many. Dont know of any parks that ban children tho. Dogs and kids are just the same... its the parents that are responsible for their behaviour and cleaning after them.

dundreamin wrote:

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A kindred spirit I think.  So lovely that you've rescued a "senior".   My dog was a stray & after being unable to locate her owner, I couldn't bear to part with her.  She's my best mate & goes everywhere with me.  

I too have come across parks that do not allow dogs, mostly the bigger coastal parks.  The other annoying thing they do is that they allow dogs except in peak times like Xmas & S/Hols.  I tend to stick to the smaller family run parks - better service, cheaper, not so crowded and usually dogs OK.  Also showgrounds are a great option.

Not much you can do about N.P's.  You can drive through them with a dog if the road is a public road I believe e.g. The Great Alpine Rd & the Alpine Way.  You just can't let them out.

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 Thanks dundreamin. So nice to hear you have rescue dogs. Id love to help rescue dogs by fostering them too. Maybe its time to just settle down for a while and find an animal lover who will let me rent a house. Or maybe go into a cooperative with others who feel the same and buy a property lol. cheers

hokianga wrote:

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So sorry to hear of your troubles, maybe you have just hit a bad patch of anti pet places, there are lots of places that are pet friendly, we offer doggy day care at our park just about every day excluding long weekends and easter. Have you thought about approaching some pet friendly parks about coming in as a permanent?
To give you some idea, we have just set our new charges for permanents which is $80 solo per week or $90 couple. Plus metered power and supply charge plus $15 per month for untreated but settled water. It may be an option worth considering. There are many parks out there charging less for permanent sites but it goes back to inspect a park, stay as a tourist, check out the owners, then decide if you want to proceed with an enquiry as a permanent. Good Luck.

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 Your park sounds great! I will do as you say and definitely will be visiting you! Cheers xx

Hi Didi,

I have Molly.. a grey Chihuahua !!. I generally travel with Molly, April to November.

I am unhappy that I cannot take Molly into National Parks. She is in more danger from the animals etc than she is a danger to them. I wouldn't let her out of the van in such places. She is so vulnerable.

However, that said, thats the rule.

I have found that there are many caravan parks and free camps where dogs are allowed and have not had too much trouble finding a place to stay.

The east cost is probably not too friendly any way its too expensive. and WA spread baits around like it is fertilizer. QLD has ticks. And don't forget the snakes and crocodiles.

So animals require careful looking after at all times.

But, despite all the dangers, it is an absolute joy to have her with me. She does something cute everyday and makes me laugh. She is my early warning device for anything hanging around, that shouldn't be there. and she is my friend and companion that listens intently to everything I say.

People should interpret "pet friendly" to mean "pet tolerant". Aside from hokianga or a vet, no business owner or landlord genuinely welcomes our pets. If I didn't have a dog of my own, I would avoid places that accepted pets unless I had no other option.

To Rip and Rosie, if you bring your dog to my house, then don't be resentful if I tell you to go away.

Rosie, the point I'm making is that you should not expect (or demand) that people accept your choices. If they reject your choices, then you should not think less of them for it. You seem to be suggesting that people who are not pet lovers are somehow akin to racists or bigots. They're not -- they're just different.

I have a friend who has a hobby farm. He has invited me to visit him. I told him I have a dog, but he is OK with that. He just wants me to give him advance notice so that he can lock up his chickens. I've thought about this and I've decided that bringing my dog would be an unfair imposition on his hospitality. BTW, the previous owner of the farm had a cattle dog that had the run of the property.

didi wrote:

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03_Troopy wrote:

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I can sympathise with rental property owner not allowing pets. At first, we allowed renters to have pets with the proviso that they were kept outside the house. After a couple of episodes of extensive cleaning required due to pet hair and smell in carpets, and one case of dog cr*p on carpets we no longer allow pets in our rental.

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 Im so sorry you had that experience, but a good tenant(long term tenant) cleans their carpets and walls on departure. Its written into most rental agreements now. I know I have always hired professional cleaners when I vacate. Its not about the dogs. Its about ensuring your rental agreements cover you.

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 It's not about the pets or the agreements, it's about the owners who abuse the privilege of you allowing them to keep pets outside, then let them make such a mess inside. Don't worry, there was very little left of their bond after the incidents. And cleaning after the fact that they abuse the privilege isn't good enough. Even cats can cause enough damage to screen doors that we no longer tolerate pets at all. After the last episode of filth being left in the house, there was also a mound of 14 months worth of dog droppings left behind the garage.

Edit: And I am not anti dog, cat or pet. At the time we had two dogs (german shepherd and german shepherd cross) who were both inside dogs. But they were trained to let you know when they needed to go outside.

-- Edited by 03_Troopy on Monday 14th of March 2016 07:51:51 AM

WOW. to some of these answers. Reinforcing my belief that many places (and people) in Australia are just not pet friendly. Every living being has a soul my friends. I find dogs and cats have far more generous and loving souls than many humans.

I totally agree. While the majority of us clean up after our dogs & are responsible owners we (or our dogs) are seen to be the destroyers of bush, wreckers of the environment & the list goes on, but hey what about those with the big 4WD's who motor through bush areas destroying undergrowth (not all but always a certain few would be if they could be bush bashers), bbq's going full blast & the booze flowing freely & generally destroying some pristine camping areas - they are allowed to of course.

Anyway on my vehicle I have a decal "If my German Shepherd doesn't like you neither will I" - it works well. But the perception is a German Shepherd, in a camping area or similar, will kill anything on 2 or 4 legs, destroy all vegetation, rip out trees with its bare teeth.

I met a park ranger once who even told me a Chihuahua would introduce diseases into national parks.

I can see why you are savage but carry on regardless, you will come across someone who wont judge you because you have a dog.

Hewy54 wrote:

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So many people are unaware of why pets are not allowed in National Parks. It has nothing to do with our pets killing any native wildlife. Any pet let into a National Park will leave a scent and may leave disease. This scent is then detected by our native fauna and they will then stay away from these areas. We have such a small area of national parks, so lets all be responsible pet owners and keep them out of these areas.
As to being anti pets, we have been dog owners for many years. We lived in a semi rural area and were appalled when we first moved in at the number of feral and domestic cats on our property. We were fortunate that our dog hated cats, but was comfortable around the lizards, possums and birds. She managed to eradicate our property of all cats so that the native wildlife flourished.
I am not anti pets, just anti those other peoples pets that encroach upon my space.

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 That doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me.   If you have a dog there how come the native fauna didn't go away too?  I live in a city area and I have a lot of wildlife visiting. resident maggies, kookaburra, parrots, bugies, ****ies, galahs, owls and may others I can't name.  I also have skinks and bluetongue lizards.  and... possums.  must be two or three families from the noise they make.  I think they are the ones responsible for eating everything in sight in my garden including the geranimums.  My dog hates the possums but she hasn't managed to scare them away worse luck.

Hey Jules

What are you and Billeeeeeeee up to?

Molly Moo sends her love.