Dogs are welcome at Karoo Stone Camper and there is no pet surcharge. The caravan, the lawn, the firepit and the shaded lounge are all outdoor-dog territory, and a dog that is used to sleeping where you sleep will settle here within about ten minutes.
There is one condition and it is the serious one: this is a working stock farm. Angora goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, alpacas and free-range chickens live within sight of the camper. A dog that chases livestock is a real problem on a farm, not an embarrassment. Your dog stays with you, leashed or under voice control you would bet money on.
What a dog gets out of it
Space, smells and a person who is outdoors all day. There is no traffic, no other dogs, no gate onto a road. Most dogs spend the weekend somewhere between the fire and the shade, get up to investigate whatever walks past the fence, and sleep harder than they have in months.
The river is within walking distance of the caravan, which most dogs find before their owners do.
The honest cautions
Livestock. Covered above, and it is the one that matters.
Heat. Karoo summer days get seriously hot with no shade in the open veld. Walk early or late, keep water down at all times, and use the pergola and reed screens.
Ticks. Check your dog after any walk through grass or scrub. Bring whatever you normally use.
Snakes. Warm months bring them out. Keep a dog out of long grass, rock piles and the base of fences, and keep it close after dark.
The gravel road. Seven kilometres of farm road at the end of the drive. It is fine for an ordinary car, but a dog loose in the back will slide around on corrugations more than it would on tar. Secure it properly.
What to bring
- Its own bed or blanket, so the caravan smells right on the first night
- A long lead for the times you want it near but not underfoot
- Water bowl, food, and more water than you think
- Tick treatment and a towel for the river
The camels
The farm keeps camels and alpacas, and they will come to the fence to look at you. Most dogs have never seen either and react accordingly. Introduce them across a fence, on a lead, once, and get it over with on the first afternoon rather than at speed on the second.