I became serious about Dog Travel mid 2010. The previous Christmas Chilly, Max and I traveled from Cairns to Melbourne and back, visiting family and friends on the way. We had a great time on the road and off.
It was a rushed month in our basic camper trailer and it was all over far too quickly.
On my return I started work as a part-time Shiatsu Practitioner, part-time builder to finish my cottage and part-time farmer, looking after my 100 acres and little bush tucker plot. Mulching, slashing, mowing, weeding, working and dealing with tradesmen started to get the better of me. The idea of travelling with my dogs painted a much better picture than the reality I had created. I was tired and needed a big rest.
With all the establishment work complete and the cottage and farm to the stage only maintenance was required, it was time to go, so off we went – somewhere in Australia.
I was amazed at how many people were travelling with dogs and pleasantly surprised to find so many dog friendly travel sites. My preference has been to find places where the dogs do not have to be on a leash. Places where I can explore with the dogs is so much more enjoyable for all of us.
The idea of starting a website about travelling with dogs, with the focus on great places for the dogs, began to take shape. Before long, www.traveldogsaustralia.com was born.
Unfortunately the farm did not do well under the care of those trusted to do so. I have had to come home earlier than planned. We did not make it passed the East Coast, not yet anyway.
My travels did highlight some worrying trends though, so I am now at university doing a degree in Sustainability. The farm was damaged by neglect, as well as my house, but both are recovering with the help of WWOOFers (Willing workers on organic farms) and is back to maintenance stage.
I will maintain the website, as my hope is for this website to grow, more great travel sites for dog travel to be shared and more dogs to be out there with their families having the great adventures Chilly and Max have had. Be aware though! Once they have the taste for travel, home can be a bit boring.
I hope you will join us on our travels. Perhaps you know of some great places to take dogs. Please share you experiences with us and others on our Travel Sites page.
Perhaps if I can show how much fun it is to travel with dogs, more people will take their dogs with them. Better to keep the family together for everyone concerned!
