Where Can Our Dogs Go?

[Baby Dragon]

it depends I know that assistance dogs & guide dogs can go most places but their owners have special cards that give them these rights..

it might be worth you going into your regular haunts (without dog at first) & asking if they allow dogs there!!

We had a couple stay at the motel I work at with a guide dog and they told me the only place a guide dog is not allowed is an operating theatre.

Guide Dogs and other types of Assistance Dogs can be excluded from sterile environments (like operating theatres), commercial food preparation areas and construction sites.

[Lisey]

I think that dogs can go plenty of places in Australia, you just have to make the effort to take them.

If the dogs are with us and we need to eat lunch, and there are no dog friendly places around, we just buy the food then find somewhere outside to eat it (or in the car if we have to). I take the dogs to hubby's sports games. They go to dog club and also to obedience trials. We go to dog off leash areas and reserves. They get walks around the suburbs, past the shops, meet the locals and their dogs. They often come on holidays with us - plenty of dog friendly accommodation these days.

Hmmm... even the term "pet friendly" is apparently different to what I think of as friendly, though. I have just gone through the process of trying to book a place for a few days, and one real estate agent was most offended when I commented that I did not think that a property which didn't allow dogs inside at all, even crated, and had only wire stock fencing should be advertised as dog friendly. When I asked for a listing of other dog-friendly properties on their books only one of about 15 allowed dogs inside, and a lot of them where in built-up areas. Just what I'd want as a neighbor - a visiting dog barking overnight because it doesn't understand why it's outside!

I do agree on that point... I always contact them to find out their conditions and fencing. Sure you have to look around, but we have stayed at heaps of places that have let the dogs inside (just counting them... probably around 8 different places now). Some have bent their rules to let our dogs be crated inside, or not in the bedrooms, or if we vacuum afterwards, etc

Totally agree. I find most properties in the fine print say "small dog only" or "outside dog only". This is not pet friendly!!! If you want your dog inside it means they are house trained. Wouldn't there be just as much chance of a child doing damage to the property that there would a dog!!

I have bee lucky to find a person who had 2 holiday house close to a dog friendly beach and his houses are actually dog friendly. Dpgs are allowed inside, in the pool and he has not rules about the size or number of dogs. This is pet friendly!!!

Are they in QLD??

If so can you PM me details as I would love something like that. When I can afford to take a holiday

I would like to know the name of this place as well!

[quoll]

I think the two go hand in hand. In Europe, dogs are allowed most places, so they get socialised more and are more confident around people and in new places, and thus they are allowed to be in those places because they behave well. Here, because our dogs aren't allowed anywhere, they are not as socialised, less confident around people and not well behaved and thus not allowed to go anywhere.

Also, in Europe dogs live inside with their families. When the family is at work, the dog is loose in the house or crated. When there are visitors over, the dogs are inside the house and have to interact properly with visitors. They don't just put them out in the backyard because they have people over, so once again they get more socialisation.

Mine all live in and are in the house when we are out.......And yes we have big dog, but we also used to live in the USA and Europe and it was normal. It just means the vacuum comes out once a day

I take my dogs as many places as we are allowed. We are lucky, because we are Rural. And my dogs seem to attract people in a friendly manner, so are well tolerated everywhere. It is sad we cannot take ours as many places as we could in Europe and the USA.

We have taken ours in to all the Plant Nurseries, Bunnings and other such stores and walks the Main streets of all the small towns nearby and have Coffee with the dogs beside us. In quite a few places, the dogs have been offered bowls of water.

I think it is important to be seen around with friendly well mannered dogs.

Yes very good point

[flame ryder]

Well as far as I'm concerned dogs should be allowed everywhere! My dogs are part of my family and part of me, I feel totally weird out walking without one of my dogs beside me. You don't see signs saying no children allowed and yet at times the dogs are more better behaved than the kids.

We love the bush, beaches and hiking...but no dogs allowed in National parks...so we rarely go to them. I think dogs on leads would have little impact on national parks, or even a small fee for dogs. But I realise there are some ferals who would break the rules and spoil it for everyone else. And whats with the beaches that don't allow dogs??? Crickey my dogs love the beach more than anywhere on earth...if they pooh so what! Clean it up...if not the tide will take it away..big deal.

When we go on holidays it's 100% more fun with the dogs but way more stressful because there are all those annoying "NO PETS" signs.

[conztruct]

I think that dogs can go plenty of places in Australia, you just have to make the effort to take them.

If the dogs are with us and we need to eat lunch, and there are no dog friendly places around, we just buy the food then find somewhere outside to eat it (or in the car if we have to). I take the dogs to hubby's sports games. They go to dog club and also to obedience trials. We go to dog off leash areas and reserves. They get walks around the suburbs, past the shops, meet the locals and their dogs. They often come on holidays with us - plenty of dog friendly accommodation these days.

Hmmm... even the term "pet friendly" is apparently different to what I think of as friendly, though. I have just gone through the process of trying to book a place for a few days, and one real estate agent was most offended when I commented that I did not think that a property which didn't allow dogs inside at all, even crated, and had only wire stock fencing should be advertised as dog friendly. When I asked for a listing of other dog-friendly properties on their books only one of about 15 allowed dogs inside, and a lot of them where in built-up areas. Just what I'd want as a neighbor - a visiting dog barking overnight because it doesn't understand why it's outside!

I do agree on that point... I always contact them to find out their conditions and fencing. Sure you have to look around, but we have stayed at heaps of places that have let the dogs inside (just counting them... probably around 8 different places now). Some have bent their rules to let our dogs be crated inside, or not in the bedrooms, or if we vacuum afterwards, etc

Totally agree. I find most properties in the fine print say "small dog only" or "outside dog only". This is not pet friendly!!! If you want your dog inside it means they are house trained. Wouldn't there be just as much chance of a child doing damage to the property that there would a dog!!

I have been lucky to find a person who had 2 holiday houses close to a dog friendly beach and his houses are actually dog friendly. Dogs are allowed inside, in the pool and he has not rules about the size or number of dogs. This is pet friendly!!!

I think it goes both ways. In general a lot of dog owners in Australia are not very responsible with their pets. I have a friend who works at a motel that is pet friendly, but they have a lot of problems with poorly behaved, aggressive, not house-trained dogs and owners who think that pet friendly means that they can lock their dog in the room all day while they go out or worse, that the motel staff are there to look after the dog for them........

Fortunately, this motel will always be pet friendly despite some bad experiences - they manage the exceptions (through an extra cleaning charge) rather than just make a blanket assumption that all pets are going to make a mess and as a result have had some lovely people with lovely dogs stay at the motel.

My friend has always told me though that he'd much rather a dog in the motel any day than children, who do far more damage and make far more mess......LOL.

[Maddy]

Well as far as I'm concerned dogs should be allowed everywhere!

Personally, I really dislike seeing dogs in places serving food or places with a lot of children around. There are certain places that clearly aren't appropriate places to walk dogs- just like there's places you wouldn't take children. It's not discrimination, just common sense.

And whats with the beaches that don't allow dogs??? Crickey my dogs love the beach more than anywhere on earth...if they pooh so what! Clean it up...if not the tide will take it away..big deal.

Lovely. In the mean time, it gets stepped in or someone's child touches it. I can see why most councils choose to restrict dog access on beaches and other public land.

[Atanquin]

It was a shock when we move over from England we could not take our dog anywhere we have to go and ask if we could sit outside with him only one place said yes some f the others said only if he was A little dog (he was a big long haired German Shepard ) so we stopped taking him places which made us sad

[W Sibs]

Well as far as I'm concerned dogs should be allowed everywhere! My dogs are part of my family and part of me, I feel totally weird out walking without one of my dogs beside me. You don't see signs saying no children allowed and yet at times the dogs are more better behaved than the kids.

We love the bush, beaches and hiking...but no dogs allowed in National parks...so we rarely go to them. I think dogs on leads would have little impact on national parks, or even a small fee for dogs. But I realise there are some ferals who would break the rules and spoil it for everyone else. And whats with the beaches that don't allow dogs??? Crickey my dogs love the beach more than anywhere on earth...if they pooh so what! Clean it up...if not the tide will take it away..big deal.

When we go on holidays it's 100% more fun with the dogs but way more stressful because there are all those annoying "NO PETS" signs.

This is the attitude why there isn't many dog friendly beaches in Australia.

[Atanquin]

Oh and on another net I hate it that we can't take our to national parks I agree with just keep them on a leash. I know the council are scared that some ppl won't abid by the rules but they don't anyway I have seen dogs on trails around our area that don't allow dogs I think dogs are better behaved than kids!! God some kids can really spoil lovely moments like when you get to a lovely view and you want to sit down and enjoy it but noo there is some kid screaming it's head off and the parents are just ignoring them and don't think about how that behaviour is spoiling a lovely moment for everyone else. Now if a dog was there ( not saying all dogs but most dog and if they didn't have idiot owners) would quietly sit or stand there not making a fuss and fit in nicely. Same a beaches kids can run around totally uncontrol and can run flying past and you end p with sand in your face or a football!!! And just like kids you can have well behaved ones and badly behaved ones it all depends on the perents of the kids or the owners of the dogs to keep everything in control and to be considerate of everyone else personal space. Sorry about grammar and spelling typed it on my phone

[flame ryder]

Well as far as I'm concerned dogs should be allowed everywhere!

Personally, I really dislike seeing dogs in places serving food or places with a lot of children around. There are certain places that clearly aren't appropriate places to walk dogs- just like there's places you wouldn't take children. It's not discrimination, just common sense.

And whats with the beaches that don't allow dogs??? Crickey my dogs love the beach more than anywhere on earth...if they pooh so what! Clean it up...if not the tide will take it away..big deal.

Lovely. In the mean time, it gets stepped in or someone's child touches it. I can see why most councils choose to restrict dog access on beaches and other public land.

Well duh I meant clean it up on a city beach where there are other beach goers. The beaches we usually go on there are no other people

[dee lee]

It was a shock when we move over from England we could not take our dog anywhere we have to go and ask if we could sit outside with him only one place said yes some f the others said only if he was A little dog (he was a big long haired German Shepard ) so we stopped taking him places which made us sad

You got unlucky in where you live, I take my dog to cafes etc all the time.

The waitstaff at my two regular cafes adore my dog, and all the other regulars' dogs. Often there are almost as many well behaved dogs as people. The only problems occur when there are random offlead dogs (but that's another argument ).

[HazyWal]

Well as far as I'm concerned dogs should be allowed everywhere!

Personally, I really dislike seeing dogs in places serving food or places with a lot of children around. There are certain places that clearly aren't appropriate places to walk dogs- just like there's places you wouldn't take children. It's not discrimination, just common sense.

And whats with the beaches that don't allow dogs??? Crickey my dogs love the beach more than anywhere on earth...if they pooh so what! Clean it up...if not the tide will take it away..big deal.

Lovely. In the mean time, it gets stepped in or someone's child touches it. I can see why most councils choose to restrict dog access on beaches and other public land.

Well duh I meant clean it up on a city beach where there are other beach goers. The beaches we usually go on there are no other people

Dogs can't be allowed everywhere,that's absurd.If your dog craps pick it up wherever you are.My dog's poo I pick it up simple.

[nikitaken]

I also agree dogs cannot and should not be allowed EVERYWHERE, same in Europe, alot of butcher shops we visited refuse to let dogs in, which makes alot of sense.

But its a shame our dogs here are not welcomed in too many places =( the more we keep them locked in our house/backyard, the more aggressive, anxious, frustrated they are, thats the reality.

And I've met too many people that dont like dogs, and they just live around us.

I dont drive, so on my day offs I can only walk my dog in the park nearby which rarely have any other dogs, or even human. If i could go on a train with my dog I could've taken her everywhere!

And all the pet-friendly accomodations we've contacted have restrictions on the weight and size of the dog, they mostly welcome med-small dogs only.

[Perry's Mum]

I absolutely agree about the size and weight limit in much supposedly pet friendly accommodation - in my experience small dogs are much noisier than large ones if that is what they are worried about.

[OSoSwift]

I think that dogs can go plenty of places in Australia, you just have to make the effort to take them.

If the dogs are with us and we need to eat lunch, and there are no dog friendly places around, we just buy the food then find somewhere outside to eat it (or in the car if we have to). I take the dogs to hubby's sports games. They go to dog club and also to obedience trials. We go to dog off leash areas and reserves. They get walks around the suburbs, past the shops, meet the locals and their dogs. They often come on holidays with us - plenty of dog friendly accommodation these days.

Hmmm... even the term "pet friendly" is apparently different to what I think of as friendly, though. I have just gone through the process of trying to book a place for a few days, and one real estate agent was most offended when I commented that I did not think that a property which didn't allow dogs inside at all, even crated, and had only wire stock fencing should be advertised as dog friendly. When I asked for a listing of other dog-friendly properties on their books only one of about 15 allowed dogs inside, and a lot of them where in built-up areas. Just what I'd want as a neighbor - a visiting dog barking overnight because it doesn't understand why it's outside!

I do agree on that point... I always contact them to find out their conditions and fencing. Sure you have to look around, but we have stayed at heaps of places that have let the dogs inside (just counting them... probably around 8 different places now). Some have bent their rules to let our dogs be crated inside, or not in the bedrooms, or if we vacuum afterwards, etc

Totally agree. I find most properties in the fine print say "small dog only" or "outside dog only". This is not pet friendly!!! If you want your dog inside it means they are house trained. Wouldn't there be just as much chance of a child doing damage to the property that there would a dog!!

I have been lucky to find a person who had 2 holiday houses close to a dog friendly beach and his houses are actually dog friendly. Dogs are allowed inside, in the pool and he has not rules about the size or number of dogs. This is pet friendly!!!

I think it goes both ways. In general a lot of dog owners in Australia are not very responsible with their pets. I have a friend who works at a motel that is pet friendly, but they have a lot of problems with poorly behaved, aggressive, not house-trained dogs and owners who think that pet friendly means that they can lock their dog in the room all day while they go out or worse, that the motel staff are there to look after the dog for them........

Fortunately, this motel will always be pet friendly despite some bad experiences - they manage the exceptions (through an extra cleaning charge) rather than just make a blanket assumption that all pets are going to make a mess and as a result have had some lovely people with lovely dogs stay at the motel.

My friend has always told me though that he'd much rather a dog in the motel any day than children, who do far more damage and make far more mess......LOL.

CAre to share who they are ??? They will get some good publicity adn we will know of a great place to stay

[Maddy]

Well as far as I'm concerned dogs should be allowed everywhere!

Personally, I really dislike seeing dogs in places serving food or places with a lot of children around. There are certain places that clearly aren't appropriate places to walk dogs- just like there's places you wouldn't take children. It's not discrimination, just common sense.

And whats with the beaches that don't allow dogs??? Crickey my dogs love the beach more than anywhere on earth...if they pooh so what! Clean it up...if not the tide will take it away..big deal.

Lovely. In the mean time, it gets stepped in or someone's child touches it. I can see why most councils choose to restrict dog access on beaches and other public land.

Well duh I meant clean it up on a city beach where there are other beach goers. The beaches we usually go on there are no other people

How does that make it any better? You're polluting an area with dog excrement, you'll have to excuse me if I find that disgusting and completely unacceptable- obviously it should be totally okay to do, duh!

[Christina]

It was a shock when we move over from England we could not take our dog anywhere we have to go and ask if we could sit outside with him only one place said yes some f the others said only if he was A little dog (he was a big long haired German Shepard ) so we stopped taking him places which made us sad

Isn't it a shock.

35 years living in England & 25 years here & as far as pets are concerned its like being on another planet. So much fuss & rules made over it all & it does not make for better or more responsible owners. Or better pets. The general intolerance & expectations from cats & dogs can be a shock & popularity & the way some pet birds are kept, a lifetime in a tiny cage not big enough for a walk or wing stretch & out in extreme heat is horrid.

No country is perfect & people have different ideas about rights & wrongs but I would like dogs to be welcome in more places & not perceived as dangerous beasts so much.

[dandybrush]

I think that dogs can go plenty of places in Australia, you just have to make the effort to take them.

If the dogs are with us and we need to eat lunch, and there are no dog friendly places around, we just buy the food then find somewhere outside to eat it (or in the car if we have to). I take the dogs to hubby's sports games. They go to dog club and also to obedience trials. We go to dog off leash areas and reserves. They get walks around the suburbs, past the shops, meet the locals and their dogs. They often come on holidays with us - plenty of dog friendly accommodation these days.

Hmmm... even the term "pet friendly" is apparently different to what I think of as friendly, though. I have just gone through the process of trying to book a place for a few days, and one real estate agent was most offended when I commented that I did not think that a property which didn't allow dogs inside at all, even crated, and had only wire stock fencing should be advertised as dog friendly. When I asked for a listing of other dog-friendly properties on their books only one of about 15 allowed dogs inside, and a lot of them where in built-up areas. Just what I'd want as a neighbor - a visiting dog barking overnight because it doesn't understand why it's outside!

I do agree on that point... I always contact them to find out their conditions and fencing. Sure you have to look around, but we have stayed at heaps of places that have let the dogs inside (just counting them... probably around 8 different places now). Some have bent their rules to let our dogs be crated inside, or not in the bedrooms, or if we vacuum afterwards, etc

Totally agree. I find most properties in the fine print say "small dog only" or "outside dog only". This is not pet friendly!!! If you want your dog inside it means they are house trained. Wouldn't there be just as much chance of a child doing damage to the property that there would a dog!!

I have bee lucky to find a person who had 2 holiday house close to a dog friendly beach and his houses are actually dog friendly. Dpgs are allowed inside, in the pool and he has not rules about the size or number of dogs. This is pet friendly!!!

Are they in QLD??

If so can you PM me details as I would love something like that. When I can afford to take a holiday

Keira!! im in!! :D

[Sooky]

I moved over from Scotland last year and I too am shocked at the difference. Owning a dog here is such a worrying, unenjoyable experience so many rules and regulations to abid to. In Scotland in was so enjoyable owning a dog and being able to go everywhere with them, it really is quite sad . I could go on and on about the differneces but I wont as its never going to change over here, and as for puppies being sold in pet shops dont even get me started grrrrr!!!!!!!

[Mel@Marengo]

I have traveled around Australia a few times and I find it to be very dog friendly, it is a bit hard in cities and around national parks though, but that's okay for us though as we don't go near cities or National parks. I would like to go to some national parks but the reason why dogs are not allowed even on leads is that when a dog leaves it's mark on the trail it disturbs the native animals and it is there habitat and we have to respect that. We are lucky, we live in a small town where our dog is welcome in the newsagent, hardware and the surf shop, it's against the law to have a dog inside where they serve food, but all the cafe's and pub's allow dogs outside. Dog's are allowed on most beaches, we have more of a problem with human poo at some of the beaches ie: Wicked vans free camping get up in the morning and crap on the track to the beach. We have over 200 places offering accommodation in town about 20 of them are dog friendly(we own one of these) to different extents, half of them are very friendly the other half I would say that they will tolerate your dog to get your business. You have got to understand also that a business is put in a pet friendly category because it allows dogs it is up to you to sort out what level of dog friendly you want, there are a lot of cars that are categorized as 4wd's but you would not take them off road. If a place of accommodation has rules you don't like move on to the next one, we have our rules and we consider them to be common sense,when we first opened we had people ring up and ask us to bend the rules and being real softies we would, and most of our bad experiences have come from people we have bent the rules for. So that is why some places seem not so dog friendly, it is just what they are comfortable with but they need to advertise in a category so you know they at least allow dogs. I thought I would just give you a bit of a view from the other side.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Mel@Marengo