recuperating at Wangaratta in lovely Fleur de Lys house

Last week, while Penny was recuperating from her bout of gastro, which hasn't completely settled, we headed off for a few days at Wangaratta, taking the Royal Canin 'gastro' dry food with us. (How easy it is when you just offer the same food every meal!)

Things were complicated by the fact that Penny was also taking antibiotics for the 'significant' chest infection that had been diagnosed after the vet washed liquid into her trachea and pulled it back, thus obtaining a sample from her trachea and her lungs. He also did a swab of her trachea.

At least we now knew what the strange cough was, and could start to treat it. Hoping, of course, that the antibiotics didn't upset her stomach too much. (Oh, what a tricky thing it is to look after a dog!)

We found a dog-friendly house near the centre of Wangaratta, called Fleur de Lys. Polished floor boards, except for carpet in the bedrooms, and immaculately clean throughout.

A few days resting in the sunroom was just what Penny needed.

And when the days got hot, we opened the doors so a breeze flowed through. (The yard was fenced and safe enough for a home-loving, calm dog like Penny.)

I think it would be a great town to walk around in cooler weather, and it has a river for a swim, but we kept exercise to a minimum while Penny isn't well.

She's still on the antibiotics, and we're trying anti-histamines for her itchy skin. But more about that in a subsequent post...

A winter holiday for dogs

Penny's blog has been quiet the last week or so, because we've been away at a dog holiday resort, at Tarra Valley. We've been there before - Best Friend Holiday Retreat. One of the relaxing things about the Retreat is that there is no mobile phone or internet coverage at the cabins. It forces you to take a break from the human world and concentrate on enjoying the company of your dog. Dogs must be with their humans at all times.

Walking in the local area in winter is wonderful, because it is unlikely we would encounter any snakes, so we can head along narrow paths we would normally avoid in summer, and we don't have to worry if the dogs veer off the main path, as Penny is doing in this shot.

It was windy and cold, but that was invigorating, if we didn't mind slopping through water. The humans tried to stick to the edges of the paths, but the dogs loved wading through. It's strange that at home Penny won't even walk on damp grass if she needs to go outside to wee, but on walks she loves to get her feet wet.

The wintry beaches were usually deserted.

Seeing she lives in a one-dog household, it's good for Penny to be part of a canine pack and mill around with her friends back at the cabin.

at Best Friend Holiday Retreat

Penny has just been on holidays once again, staying in a dog-friendly cabin in the lush Tarra Valley.

On the way, we stopped at Yarragon Village while Penny's human (me!) had a cup of coffee and a sandwich. I chose the Yarragon Cafe, because it has a cute little garden out the back where a dog can mooch around and smell the smells.

The Best Friend Holiday Retreat at Tarra Valley is a great place for a dog to relax, as I've blogged previously here and here, and The Ninety Mile Beach is just amazing. 

dogs walking close to traffic

One of our favorite walking places is Yarra Bend Park. We cross the Darebin Creek and continue onto the Clifton Hill side, a circular walk which leaves us with a short hike alongside traffic in Heidelberg Road, before we enter the Yarra Bend Park once more.

Once upon a time we used to come out to Heidelberg Road on this little path.

The good thing about coming out at this spot was that there was a protective barrier along the edge of Heidelberg Road to keep us safe from the cars.

But, as you can see from the first photo, our preferred path has been blocked off with a fence. So now we have to emerge on to the road further along, and take our chance walking alongside lanes of busy traffic.

It's aggravating that someone in a planning department has made a decision that impacts on our safety, without any consultation about what we prefer. I wrote to the council to explain my concerns, but received the usual noncommittal response. 

However, once we navigate the short scary stretch of street, it's back into the lovely, lovely Yarra Bend park, one of the most dog-friendly places in Melbourne. (You have to be on lead on the hard-surfaced bike paths, but everywhere else is off-lead.)

walking at Yarra Bend on a lovely Spring day

When I arrived home this afternoon I was told that Penny had gone to Yarra Bend Park with one of her humans, so I jumped in my car to join them.
I parked partway along the path I thought they would take, and had the pleasure of seeing Penny realise I had arrived. Watching her race towards me was pure joy!



After walking on the flat for a while, we headed up a hill, which is good exercise for Penny to strengthen her left rear leg, the one that was operated on for a cruciate tear, almost exactly a year ago.



There were birds perched on a rock half-way up the hill, but they didn't seem to mind us walking towards them, until we got too close.





Walking past one of the eucalypts, we had a lesson in why the Australian bush burns so well. Just look at all those strips of flammable bark hanging down. Eucalypts need to burn to regenerate, and the strips of bark have the effect of allowing a grass fire to run up them and set the foliage on fire. (I'm not quite clear about this process, but I do make a point of clearing away all the hanging bark at my place in the hills.)



By the time we arrived back at the cars, nature had turned on a gorgeous sunset to make our walk complete.