Bailey

Bailey's Blog

Wow! A dog blog. I don't know if a dog has ever written a travel blog before, but it's certainly a first for me. I've needed a bit of help along the way, and I hope you enjoy my holiday as much as I did.

When Alexis woke me up one morning in winter and it was still dark, something seemed a bit fishy. She put me in the car and we ended up at the airport. Some guy came and led me away and I was put into a cage. I was so upset I thought I would cry, and confused when she turned around and walked off. I didn't think a best friend would ever do that. I was bundled up and put into a plane and it was the strangest experience I’ve ever had. My ears went weird on me and this strange feeling in my stomach. I ended up in Perth in a doggy transit lounge and then put back into that awful cage and onto another plane.

I knew we’d landed again, but nobody came to get me, but I guessed we were in Broome because that's what my travel documents said. I sat in the plane for ages, until a nice lady came and talked to me for a while. She was so kind and really made me feel a lot better but I was still really confused. I was eventually put on a trolley and wheeled out into the blazing heat. And then ... was that Mum and Dad I could see through the cage? I was pretty groggy and thought I was seeing things. A man untied the wire of my cage and out I came. I was dazed I can tell you. I didn’t know where I was, and it was HOT.

It WAS Mum and Dad and I don't know who was happier. We said some emotional hellos, then off we went to Dad’s car. Dad's got a Toyota Landcruiser and I couldn’t even jump in the back seat, so Mum had to lift me up and put me in. We went back to their caravan and I rested a bit. Broome was much hotter than Sydney and I was really struggling. After a bit of a snooze we drove down to Cable Beach. Oh it was beautiful just sitting around watching the camels walking up and down, and everyone out having sunset drinks and snacks. Stumpy the seagull with no feet was there, and everyone was happy to come up and have a chat and were pretty impressed that I'd just arrived that day from Sydney. When the sun went down I was happy to get back to the caravan and relax after a hard day. I really felt jetlagged - you know the feeling - dazed and a bit wobbly on the feet?

Me with my best friend Alexis before leaving to meet up with Mum and Dad in Broome A caged animal on my way to Broome

(as well as being my best mate, she's also my sister or is she my mother?)

Me when I arrived in Broome after my long flight. It was so good to see a familiar face.

Me trying to ignore the Red Rock Deli chips next to me

Me with the camels on Cable Beach Broome

Talk about paranoid - not only was Dad's phone number on the back of the disc, but also what sort of car he drives WITH the rego!

When I first got to Broome I was allowed to sleep in the caravan for the first 3 nights until I settled in. By the time we got to Barn Hill Station down the road a bit, I was dumped outside in my new portable kennel. Barn Hill was a great place and we walked up and down the beach and played soccer, until of course my soccer ball burst from the heat!

Camped at Barn Hill in my new kennel

I couldn't believe my soccer ball burst when it got too hot in the sun.

I know Mum and Dad have a blog, so I won't waffle on too much. It's been a pretty amazing 6 weeks, so here are some highlights of my holiday:

Taking it easy in the back seat

Me refusing to get out of the car. What don't they understand about the fact that I don't want a wee!

We went for a bushwalk on Bullara Station near Exmouth and had to follow a track marked by beer bottles to get to a beautiful red sand dune.

I'm a pretty good tracker, but beer bottles? I had no idea what I was doing.

Every morning we have Mornos (Morning tea if you've never worked at INA Bearings). I'm not allowed to have a delicious Woolies Anzac biscuits, banana bread or date loaf. All I had was a crappy Marie biscuit. I refused to eat them until I realised that I wasn’t going to get anything else, but thankfully the Marie biscuits are finished and I’m on to the scrummy Choc Ripples now.

By the time we got to Ningaloo Station I was really getting into the swing of this holiday. I slept outside every night, even though I felt like my kennel was going to get blown away because it was so windy. I was right outside Mum's window so she could hear me if there was a problem.

Every morning my friend Digby and his Dad Keith would come for a visit. Digby was a Staffy like me, but he was mixed with a bit of dingo so instead of barking he howled - weirdo! He was much younger and fitter than me, and when Keith threw a stick to him, he ran back with it and threw it back to Keith. I was pretty impressed!

Staying at Ningaloo Station was the best place in the world for a doggy holiday. We camped for 2 weeks right on the beach looking out at Ningaloo Reef. We walked for miles every day and talked to the other campers. Then we swam, went fishing in the tinny and played soccer. We went fishing in the boat every day which I LOVED. I kept getting into trouble for trying to grab the lures on the fishing line and I tried to jump out a couple of times, but I think fishing was my favourite part of this holiday.

It was pretty windy at Ningaloo Station, and one day when it was blowing a gale and we couldn't swim or fish, Mum dressed me up in a towel and made me look like a Wunda Dog. Thank God there wasn’t anybody around on the beach to see me, because I looked like an absolute goose.

Bailey the Wunda Dog

Keith and Digby on their morning visit

Fishing in the tinny

Sadly we had to leave Ningaloo Station and start heading for home. We travelled for days and eventually got to the other side of the Australia via the Nullarbor Plain.

Tearing down a sand dune at Fowlers Bay with a new friend I made that morning. I must have overdone it a bit, because I threw up later that day.

By now the kennel had been ditched and I was sleeping inside the van. Spoilt or what?

Beautiful wildflowers. Unfortunately there were prickles everywhere, and Mum had to remove 3 nasty ones out of my front foot. This has happened a few times, but I just stand still until someone comes and bails me out (haha - Bails!)

Ho hum. Can you see me yawning? We saw so many 1080 baits and strychnine poison signs.

It's pretty scary knowing I can't pick up ANYTHING from the ground, no matter how good it might look or smell.

When we were in Exmouth a terrible person had killed 7 dogs, and 3 were really sick. They think the killer was using Strychnine, so Mum and Dad kept a very close eye on me. They didn't really need to, because I never let them out of my sight.

This has been the best holiday ever. I'm a pretty sociable guy, so make friends pretty easily. When we were in Broken Hill having lunch outside a cafe, a girl game up and said she really liked me and saw me there all the time. That was a bit weird because I've never been to Broken Hill before. She gave me a pat and went off on her merry way saying I was a lovely dog anyway!

I've had such a great holiday but I do have a few issues. For one I get really worried when Mum and Dad go off in different directions and I don't know who I should go with. In fact I'm paranoid I'm going to get left behind, or the car is going to leave without me, so I'm always ready waiting in the morning. I check very closely what Mum and Dad are doing, and once I see the chairs being packed up, and a few other telltale signs I know we're getting close to leaving. Mum puts my precious bed into the back seat of the car, and Dad says "Ready to rock & roll Bailey?" and I jump in (without any help now) and make myself comfortable for the next few hours.

We spent a few days in Broken Hill so we could get a new windscreen, and Mum and Dad decided it was time to leave me to look after the caravan and went off riding their bikes. They left me "guarding" the caravan for hours! I was so bored I didn't know what to do with myself. There's only so much guarding you can do from inside and I would have loved to be out sunbaking instead. Normally they only leave me for a little while so they can do some shopping, so I wasn't happy by the time they came back. The next morning when it was time to pick the car up, I was told to stay behind again, and I refused to get into the van. Eventually they won that battle so I stayed and "guarded" the van and they were back before I knew it.

While we were camped on Lake Pamamaroo I decided I was brave enough to wander off on my own. It's only taken 6 weeks, but I didn't go far and I could still see our camp. It was nice to have a sniff around and not worry that I was going to get left behind.

When we were camped at Wilcannia there was an emu that was very interested in what was going on. I thought it looked a bit weird and a little creepy, and it kept sticking its head in the caravan window. I thought it was going to peck my head! The next morning it chased the dog next door around and around the caravan. I wasn't sure if it was funny or not, but the emu seemed to think so.

In the morning before we leave our campsite, Dad and I go out and do all the men's stuff, like grease the sway bars, do the toilet and other things. This is great fun because it's really important work -well emptying the toilet is anyway! Mum looks after the inside of the van until everything is locked up and I'm settled in the car lying on my precious bed.

On our last night before getting home we stayed in Manildra, not far from Parkes. We're camped on beautiful grass at the Showground overlooking the hills and golf course. We've stayed at some brilliant dog friendly places where I don't have to be tied up all the time. This is very handy as I get in a bit of a tangle with my lead. We're the only people camped here and even managed a game of soccer which completely wore me out.

Tomorrow it's home to Yowie Bay and my old life and I can't wait to see Alexis and little Tequi. I've had such an amazing time and have loved every minute of my holiday.