Thursday, October 15, 2009

Dog Gone...

My favorite part of an Australian Road Trip is that you never know what you will come across.  There are mother nature's many surprises: numerous wildlife sightings, spectacular scenery, brilliant colors, scenic sunsets, and the every changing skies.  Then, there are those interesting man made attractions: decorated trees, isolated sculpture gardens, dog fences, and iconic roadside attractions.  When on the road, I have learned to keep my eyes open and to look for the unexpected.
As we were cruising across the vast open plains of Western Australia, on our way back from Wave Rock, I was surprised when I spied what looked to be a very large dog sitting in the distance.  It was too large to be real, and I couldn't wait to see what this mysterious form out in the middle nowhere might be.  I informed Mark that something was up ahead, and I told him "Slow down."  To our surprise, several miles from the closet town, was a huge concrete dog guarding the entrance guarding the entrance to a Dog Cemetery.

Mark isn't the greatest fan of cemeteries, but I got him to stop.  This burial ground, located just outside of Corrigin, was established in 1974.  There are over 80 furry, four-legged creatures buried at this sacred spot.  A quick walk around assured us that the animals were well loved.  Inscriptions on the headstones ranged from a mere name, to some emotional words about man's best mate.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Maya, what an interesting place to find. It's sad to think about but also wonderful to see that there is a place for people to bring their pets to rest.

    Thanks for sharing this interesting find and post. I also agree with you about keeping alert while traveling, because you just never know what you'll stumble upon.

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  2. Hi Kathy, I think it would be very reassuring to some people to know that they have a place to take a pet when they die.
    As far as keeping alert, here in Australia we find you really have to not because you may miss something interesting, but there is a lot of wildlife on the road. The last thing you want to do is run-over a kangaroo!!

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