When we lost our Blue Heeler that traveled everywhere with us. It was a very hard decision to decide whether to get another dog or not. We were in our late 70's therefore we were not sure if it would be fair to get another dog at our age.
We could not stand the quietness it was like a morgue at home without the interaction of a dog. We lasted 2 weeks and then we got excited at the prospect of bringing another dog into our home.
We decided to look for a rescue dog as they needed a good home. Well, we went to a dog's refuge in Perth and my husband was set on bringing home a big big dog called Benson. I have to admit he was beautiful. He slept all the way home without any problems.
Home Arrival
I was in the kitchen and suddenly Benson jumped up at me his front paws on my shoulders. Yes, he was very friendly, but with the size of him he was pushing me back into the cupboard. I managed to get him down and made a cup of coffee. He followed my husband out to the bathroom.
I took my hot coffee into the lounge and sat down. The next minute I saw this blur on my left and Benson jumped onto the lounge spilling hot coffee all over me. That was it. He had to go back. But having said that it was not his fault. As when we were at the refuge I had seen him run from the front of his cage down the back and jump on top of his kennel. That is probably what he thought he was doing.
Keizer
A week later we saw this little x dog in another refuge home in York. We rang up and went to see him. He was in the same Kennel as his mother a full boxer. The guy told us that Keizer was a Jack Russel X Boxer.
We brought him home and a week later had him sterilized
Traveling with Keizer
Three weeks later decided to do another trip around Australia. We have always kept our dogs on a leash so this was no different. We knew about the 1080 poison so we bought him a soft breathable dog muzzle so he could not pick up any baits.
Before we left home we bought a Seresto Tick and Flea Collar Which we put on him before leaving.
Another good idea is to have a full safety harness so your dog cannot be propelled out the window if you break suddenly
Great watch Dog
Can you believe that just 3 weeks out on our trip Keizer showed us just how important we were to him.
My Husband was walking around with him and stopped to talk to a fellow traveler. about 5 vans away from ours. A man knocked on our door asking about something and Keizer spotted him. He went beserk pulling on the lead dragging my husband towards our van. We knew from that day that we had made a good choice getting Keizer.
Other tips when traveling with a dog
Beware of snakes in the long grass.
If you are from west Australia like us, we were not prepared for crocodiles. Yes, we knew they were in Queensland but not where they were. We went fishing at Port.....................where the tide rushes out in the morning and back in the evening. We had driven down different tracks each day and had caught a few whiting but nothing else. Then one day we drove up further where the big bridge is and there right in front of us was a big sign. BEWARE OF CROCS. We looked at each other horrified, realising what a risk we had been taking by fishing down those little tracks unaware of the dangers. So do your homework and be prepared.
OTHER DOG PRODUCTS ON AMAZON TO KEEP YOUR FUR BABY SAFE
I hope these tips will help you to choose and keep your dog safe on your travels. Let me know if you have any better ideas in the comments.