Travels with my dog: The one thing that really grinds my gears with dog owners

Alan Granville is a Stuff Travel journalist.

OPINION: It was our dog’s first ever real holiday in New Zealand, a family trip to Taranaki with lots of walkies, bonding and chilling out at a campsite by the sea. Unfortunately, it ended up stressful for both the two-legged and the four-legged.

Buddy is a fairly well-travelled pooch. He was brought over from Queensland, following his owner’s transplant to New Zealand. I don’t think the trip was the most fun he has ever had, his wariness of ever going near his travel crate again was testimony to that.

However, he had coped well when we later made the decision to move to Wellington from Auckland. There were plenty of stops along the way to the capital for “rest” stops and snacks. So we knew he could handle long journeys.

But the trip to Taranaki would be the first proper holiday for our four-legged bestie. Planning took a while, with the main task being the search for dog-friendly accommodation. We settled for a beachfront cabin in a campsite close to New Plymouth and soon we were off on a family adventure.

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The journey was blissful. Lots of stops, sightseeing and random purchasing of fridge magnets, but the relaxed vibe was soon gone the moment we drove onto the campsite.

As beautiful as it was, it was awash with dogs of all shapes and sizes running amok. All the signs said ‘dogs must be on a lead’, there was even a space for them to freely frolic but no, we were greeted by a host of unleashed pets.

The issue is we had picked this site as it was ‘dogs on a lead’. Buddy is pretty nervous and a bit snappy around other dogs, he’s one of those ‘great around humans, not so good with other dogs’ types. As soon as he saw all these other dogs running free, and wandering over to him, he became stressed and whiny, and that remained the case for our stay.

We spoke to reception about our issue but got a ‘what can I do’ shrug, so the result was we hardly spent anytime at the campsite. The less time there, the better.

I don’t blame the dogs of course, it’s the owners who ignored the most basic of signs and rules. Their pets are probably lovely and social, but sadly not all are built the same.

It was certainly a lesson learned and on our next family trip around Manawatū-Whanganui we went the Airbnb route, away from mass accommodation and found some perfect little places far from the crowds which resulted in very happy and contented pooch and owners.

Tips on travelling with a dog

1. Go for some long day trips in your car beforehand to get your dog acclimatised to the journey.
2. Make sure they have comfortable bedding and are not just slipping all over the back seat. Invest in a dog harness or a secure crate.
3. Bring their favourite chew toys with them. Non-squeaky ones recommended for longer trips.
4. Bring plenty of water and treats.
5. And plenty of poo bags.
6. And dispense of the above in proper bins, not just dumped on the side of tracks or flung from a speeding car on SH1.
7. Bring old rags or towels. It’s amazing how messy the car can get.
8. Take plenty of rest stops.
9. Never leave your dog unattended in the car, especially in summer.
10. Make sure your accommodation is actually dog-friendly beforehand. Check out any rules on leashes or enclosed spaces.
11. Spoil them rotten.