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A few notes from your host
Kookaburra Hill welcomes friendly house-trained healthy dogs. From here guests can stroll to dog-friendly cafes, just a few hundred metres of the front gate and information is provided about dog-friendly places to visit. Enjoy a ball game with your dog on the front two acres of park-like lawns (below) and not disturb anyone.
The fence around the full 2 acres has:
- a layer of dog wire to 900 mm on the wire fence around the 2 acres in front of the house;
- finer mesh chicken wire to 900 mm has been added to most of this fence to contain the smallest dogs;
- a layer of 300 mm chicken wire laid on the ground wired to the vertical wire to make digging under the fence a challenge on many places;
- in places, as necessary tree logs are wired to the horizontal wire or large rocks or stumps added;
- the front wooden gate has perspex over the gaps;
- there is a creek when it rains which flows under the boundary fence in a gully - there is a large concrete pipe to take the water and it has been wired to prevent dogs entering the pipe.
The front garden extends around to the guest outdoor kitchen (below), directly outside your living room. It has a gate near where the photographer is standing in the photo below and is of the same type as the fence - ie boards are close enough to contain tiny dogs and fence is high enough to contain most dogs. The gate opens 180 degrees but when closed has a lock so that your dog can be left in this outdoor area for short periods , such as when you go out to dinner, or for a dog to sleep at night. If you want to leave your dog all day there are nearby kennels or dog daycare.
The pool garden is kept dog free at all times so that children can lie on the grass and people can pick the herbs. The living room has easy care stone-tiled floors and dogs may visit with you inside but definitely cannot access any of the carpeted bedrooms or the sofas for the protection of future guests. Doorway barriers will be in place on your arrival and these will prevent dogs from entering bedrooms. If medium and small dogs are used to sleeping inside, it is possible for them to sleep on the tiled living room floor but you will need to bring their bedding and to also bring some old throws to put over the lounges for protection of the lounge fabric against the dogs brushing against it. Larger dogs, shedding dogs or dogs that are muddy or wet must sleep outside in your outdoor kitchen area that you can lock.
What is supplied and the cost? A water bowl is supplied as well as a fresh bone for your friend to enjoy on the front lawn. Enough biodegradable bags for your stay are supplied for you to collect your dog's doggy dos (note Kangaroo Valley is a plastic bag free town). There is a large as well as a medium sized kennel and a large as well as a medium-sized sling bed for your dog's use. There is a large basket of 'doggy towels' at the bottom of the guest linen press for muddy feet and paws which are washed and returned to the basket - leave these outside after use. The cost for bringing a dog or two with you is only $5 a day or $20 a week which is put towards these facilities and maintenance. See below about what is expected of you.
What is expected of you? To leave all facilities as pristine as you will find them. If your dog is muddy and leaves paw prints, ask your host for a mop or a brush and no doubt she will help you to clean it up. Guests are expected to clean up after their dog using a supplied pooper-scooper and to take the doggie do's to the garbage waste disposal (red lid) at the front gate in a supplied biodegradable bag (it is not possible to compost the doggie do's as much of Kookaburra Hill is part of the water catchments for the Kangaroo River and Sydney's drinking water). If a cleaner needs to be hired to clean up after your dog, you will be charged $50 an hour for a cleaning service. If your dog causes any damage you will be charged the full cost of the damage repair. A credit card number is required as security against this possibility. Note that in seven years of operation, and so far over 320 dogs, not one guest has been charged for their dog and a charge would not be incurred without discussion with you. Your host is a reasonable person and expects her guests to act similarly.
Resident animals: Olivia the golden retriever is kept in a private garden and courtyard off the western end of the building when guests are in residence so that your break is as relaxed as possible. This courtyard is 40 metres from the guest unit entrance on the eastern end of the building. She is always delighted to be a friendly companion to visiting dogs if guests so wish. There is a Blue Point Siamese cat called 'Mouse' who is contained within your host's residence and private garden who patrols the pool garden and garage area in the evening when there are no visiting dogs. Tell your host if there are any allergies and she will be mindful to not let the cat out or close to her before coming out to greet you. There are two ponies and numerous chooks, ducks and a guineau fowl.
Poisons: We do not use any poisons. Please do not leave any food or cooking tools lying around as it could encourage rodents which we have tried very hard to eliminate from the outdoor areas. Kookaburra Hill's policy is no baits, anywhere, any time. Known poisonous plants for domestic animals are not planted in the dog-free areas.
Vaccinations: The health and safety of guests' dogs is very important. Each visiting dog must be vaccinated against the common canine diseases particularly parvo. A copy of the vaccination certificate can be faxed or emailed to your host or brought with you as your host will want to see this. These vaccinations must be completed at least 12 days prior to arrival.
Worm, flea and tick prevention: Each visiting dog must be wormed and you will be asked to administer a worm treatment within 2 weeks of your stay. Each visiting dog must also be on flea treatments which kill fleas and prevent egg laying. You will be asked to give a commercial flea treatment a few days before arrival.
There can be ticks in rural areas and regular use of a product such as Frontline (lasts 2 weeks for ticks so apply the day before arrival) as well as a tick-collar or Proban tablets is recommended, especially in summer and visitors should discuss this with their veterinary surgeon. Your host has a small supply of Proban tablets on hand which can be supplied on arrival at cost - these are preventative against ticks within a few hours but are more expensive than the tick collars, especially for large dogs. There are acres of mowed lawns around the house, which helps, but native wildlife can scamper across the lawns and these can carry ticks so it is wise to be prepared. Please tell your host if there are unexpected problems while you are here, such as sighting a flea or a suspected tick, as she can help you solve it |
