Picture
Fleas! OMG! They grow everything bigger and  better in Queensland.

Reg, Indigo and I were relaxing beside the caravan in the bush, enjoying out first glimpse of blue sky in weeks, as we dried out all the damp things in our caravan and aired all the bedding in full sunshine and I called Indigo over for a cuddle and a groom as she had been enjoying a dust bath under the caravan. 

I started to rub my hands through her coat as I often do when we are travelling; mostly checking to make sure she has not picked up another tick.  I remember 2 years ago getting one heck of a shock when she picked up  a bush tick, I was ready to yell for the roadside assistance, because, beaing a northern Victorian, (where we do not have any ticks) I had never seen a tick on a dog and I went into a panic.

Anyhow I found fleas on Indigo OMG!, she has NEVER had a flea before.  I have always used those drops you place at the back of the neck every month, bought the best and most expensive from the vet and they work. This trip however because I was so worried about ticks, I bought flea and tick collars. The, BayO Pet Kiltix Tick Collar, I used, is supposed to control fleas for 5 months and paralysis tick for 5 weeks so Indigo has been having these replaced every month and here she was suddenly full of fleas. L. 

I had some flea powder with me, as I had been dusting her down before putting her down on the ground in areas where I was extra concerned about ticks.  So I have been dusting her with flea powder, twice a day, combing her with a fine flea comb and killing half a dozen fleas at every go and I have now put one of those once a month flea treatments on her. Tonight put on a new tick and flea collar and fingers crossed we will come to the end of these fleas soon.  They grow things bigger and better there in Queensland, this dog flea colony seems to be the most resistant I have known.  

Yes I know every piece of soft furnishing in the place will require washing, plus the front seat of our car and our mattress will need some sun exposure and time away from the dog to break the cycle and I read the female flea can lay 30 eggs a day, 2,000 eggs in her short 115 day (max.) lifetime.  TThe flea can not live more than a couple of days without the host animal. I will be doing close inspections on Indigo twice daily and will try to give her a flea rinse bath tomorrow as well, I sure want her to be free from fleas before we get home.     
The main reason why any dog gets fleas is because it has associated with other dogs that also have fleas. Indigo spent a lot of time with Reg's fishing mate's dog, just before we left Flying Fish Point and I did not check her until the following day. 
 
Picture
 
 
Indigo will be excited in the morning when we hitch the caravan to the car, she loves the travel phases of our tours. Lots of new places to investigate, J.  Indigo has been travelling with us since she was 7 weeks old and we picked her up from her mum in Queensland.

Indigo’s mum was a popular ‘boardie’, on EBay’s Chin Wag, and I fell in love with Indigo on the day she was born, from the pictures of her breeder, placed on chin wag to show friends. I could tell Indigo would have been well nurtured, all the right prenexa pre natal nutrients given to her poodle mum, you can tell when someone is breeding dogs because they love them and that they are not just back yard puppy mills to make money; far too many of those.

I had intended to detour and visit Indigo’s breeder in Warwick QLD on our way home and show her the mature 5 year old beautiful Indigo, but a slight change of plans and we will not make it that way this trip, sorry Lyn, if you are reading this, another time hopefully. Hope you are keeping wellJ, I am sure your pets and beautiful granddaughter are keeping you forever young. Indigo, Reg and I send our love.

To all Indigo's fans. Indigo will be too busy sniffing all the scents from north Queensland to north Victoria to blog, for just over a week but she will be back blogging about her exciting trip south in very early August and she has an appointment with the best dog clipper in the business :-), Carla's Clipping and Grooming in Narre Warren so expect to see a good looking Indigo, very soon. :-)

 
 
Dog on High. 07/15/2010
 
Picture
Indigo had a fantastic day.  Red did not catch any fish, so Indigo was invited out for a drive and a chicken picnic.

Reg took Indigo to the beach to chase little crabs into the water, her favourite game, while I wrote a blog post and got ready for our day out.  We stopped at Innisfail and I did bought the cooked chicken for a picnic lunch up in the mountains.    I think Indigo and I need to choose a good pair of coach gifts to give Reg, he does an excellent job of nurturing our Indigo J.

Here we are at the McHughs lookout in the Atherton Tablelands. Indigo, looking very smug and happy, after a dream day for a dog.

 
Picture
 
 
Picture
Indigo had her shampoo and clip once more. We have an external shower built into the sidewall of our Eco Tourer caravan, which makes it so convenient for shampooing the dog.  It sure attracts many comments from fellow caravan travellers. 

I have a great set of clippers and I know if I wanted to, I could set up a cash mmf drawer lol J and rake the money in as a mobile caravan park, dog, groomer. I turn work away, I have too many other interests to groom other people's dogs.

There is certainly a great opportunity in that field, for someone with dog grooming skill, looking for work while they travel the country.

 
Picture
 
 
Picture


 
Picture


Reg Indigo and I had a lovely day out yesterday.  We toured into the mountains to the north west, of Innisfail, once more, an area with spectacular scenery. We focused on exploring the area to the east of Millaa Millaa. 

The photo of Reg and Indigo with the 80 sign, is of them waiting for coffee and lunch to be served, at the outside tables, when we visited the local dairy, yogurt and cheese factory.
Picture



At one of the waterfalls, we visited, there was no sign saying, you could not take a dog, so we used the dog shoulder bag and turned indigo into a fluffy handbag.



This is what we do when we are not entirely sure if Indigo is allowed in the area or not, we can show we have her ‘bagged’ and fully under our control, if anyone queries, our taking a dog, into the bush.

The ‘fluffy handbag’, proved to be very popular with the children who visited the falls. J.  Indigo did not mind being the centre of attention. 
Picture
Re Indigo’s encounter with a red bellied black snake last night. She is still acting absolutely normal and I know this is no guarantee she was not bitten as I am reading that it can take several days for the toxin to show any ill effect and the first indication if she has been bitten, will be some blood in her pee. I just have to wait and see at this stage.
 
I am encouraged by the fact that black snakes, are more likely to try to get out of the way of a threat than attack. I have some document management software, our usual creative and active life, to keep my mind occupied while we wait out the next couple of days until we can be very sure she, was not bitten.  I think she may be one lucky, dog and escaped this close encounter with a black snake, without harm.
Picture
 
 
Picture
My heart is in my mouth, walking back from the beach, by torch light, Indigo walked ahead of us a couple of feet and walked over a stick laying across the track only the stick turned into a big wriggling twisting snake under her and then wriggled off the path.It was a 2-meter long red bellied black snake. :-(

Palpitations and I feel sick and do not want my dinner. Indigo is OK and the vet says she would have yelped if bitten. I just want to watch her all night; I can't believe she would not have been bitten.  

I am wide-awake, like I am on thebest testosterone boosters and wondering how to put concern about my dog out of my mind and go to sleep.

Only thing good about it is that if I had not gone to the beach with Indigo, it might have been Reg walking bare legged over the snake and being, bitten.  I would rather have my dog save my man from being bitten by a poisonous snake than have my man at almost 70 be ill with snakebite, he could not take any more bad setbacks.

Please let Indigo be OK.

I feel so neglectful, that I never noticed, that still dark shape on the track until my dog was on top of it and horrified, to think my man often comes home on that track at night, without the torch and wearing only shorts, because he refuses, to wear jeans, even though I have been warning him, about the risk, of snake bite.

Reg will not be going fishing without me again, not that I was vigilant enough tonight L., and I need to take a lot better care of Indigo, if we are walking her back from the beach in semi dark.
 
Indigo still appears absolutely, fine. It has been 2 hours now and she has no symptoms. 
I cannot find any fang marks but when I Google, both those events can happen and even the vet said I will not see the bite mark, but she said 'Poodles are intelligent and Indigo would let me know if she had been bitten'. 

Please let her be right


Please let this just is a warning for me to take better care of my man/boy and dog.


 
Picture
 
 
Indigo has been enjoying visits and being, visited. I sure need to clip her before we have any more socializing; she is starting to look, rather long haired around the face and scruffy.
 
She is overdue, for ‘the works’.  In fact both her dad and her are both getting a little overgrown, not exactly refined enough for  bow ties, either one of them lol J but they sure are having fun here at this lovely quiet coastal fishing retreat town of Flying Fish Point. Reg caught a bream today and he was so proud of himself he rushed back with it calling out for a photo so Indigo missed her walk down to the shore to fetch daddy home.
 
 
Picture
I 'broke', Indigo's evening routine, so she punished me with a 3.30 am walk in the rain to pick ip her poop.

Oh the joys of caravaning!

My Mini marathon week of changing routines and the first real hitch comes from 'the dog'. Not used to early bedtimes had to wake mum up to take her walkies, in the rain no less at 3.30 am.  Groan....Indigo...

You are going to dislike tomorrows routine even more, I am going out all day without you, a ladies day of gym, hairdresser then appointment, that's why I went to bed early, to 'fit it all in'...don't try wagging your tail at me, kiddo, you’re in the dog house.
 
 
 
Picture
Note who is in the best camp chair.
I have been packing away some of the clothing we brought with us on this trip and we are not getting around to using,

Indigo’s oilskin coat is one garment we have no use of here in north Queensland. It has been between 19 and 29 degrees most of the time we have been here, just beautiful weather.

Honestly the amount of clothing we brought with us on this trip, we have everything except plus size lingerie in the caravan, far too much ‘stuff’.  Cannot blame the man or dog for that, they travel light.

 
 
 
I have had another great day down at the beach, While dad fishes, I had fun sand playing.

Mum acts quite proud of his efforts, he has caught 10 whiting this week, she keeps telling everyone, honestly have you seen the size of these whiting, they are just on the size limit.  Dad uses and 4.8 kilogram line and is letting all the big ones, get away. I mean to say, there has been no left over’ fit for a dog.

Dad has learned quickly how to catch whiting from a friendly local called ‘Scotty’.

Species Whiting

Rigs General running rig, Beach rig

Baits Worms Nippers Prawns Pippies

Tips
Whiting can be found on the edge of sand drop-offs where they feed. Anglers find that the addition of a red bead or piece of tubing above the hook will help to attract whiting to your bait.

 
Picture
 


I may not be able to read catalog printing,
 
but I can see pictures on the walls,

now compare dad’s catch,
Picture



to this.


I am taking dad shopping for a 20 lb line,
 
never mind those little fish,

I want a feed.