Muttmates
Safety
Dogs in the car: restraint, heat and long-haul comfort
Harness, crate or barrier, why a collar tether is never a restraint, the heat rule with no exceptions, and the two-hour stop rhythm for long drives.
Guide
Boarding kennel or bring the dog? An honest comparison
The itinerary decides, not the dog. When to bring them, when a good kennel is the kinder call, and the mixed plan most people forget exists.
Guide
Dog-friendly pubs, cafes and wineries: taking the dog out for lunch
Where dogs can actually sit, how to pick a venue that suits your dog, and the settle-on-a-mat training that earns the best compliment going: nobody noticed.
Travel
Finding a vet while travelling Australia with your dog
Records in your phone, country hours, the drive-or-phone triage call, and what the visit costs. The twenty minutes of prep that saves a holiday.
Travel
Free camps and rest areas with a dog: what works and what doesn't
No bookings, no fences, no water taps. Overnighting at free camps and highway rest areas with a dog, and the land-tenure question that decides everything.
Travel
Taking your dog to a caravan park: what to ask before you book
Holiday-season dog bans, pet cabins, two-dog limits and the never-left-unattended rule. The five questions to ask before you book, not at the boom gate.
Guide
Dog beach rules in Australia: how to read a beach before you unclip
Off-leash all hours, timed, on-leash or no dogs at all: the four kinds of beach, how to read the signs, and the salt-and-sand sense nobody puts on a sign.
Feature
Inside the Muttmates road trip planner: how it thinks
What happens when you tap Plan the route. The real driving line, stops within 5 km of the road, break pacing, the national park warning, and the whole trip handed to your own navigation. All of it free.
Guide
How to judge a dog park before you let your dog off
Fencing, gates, water, shade, and how to read the pack from the gate. What we look for before the lead comes off, and the etiquette that keeps parks open.
For providers
Pet sitters: how to list your business on Muttmates, free
Minding dogs for a living, or on the side? Adding your business to the services directory takes about ten minutes, costs nothing, and your email is never published. Step by step, start to finish.
Worked example
We planned a real Sydney to Melbourne dog road trip: here's what came out
Agnes Banks to Melbourne via Wagga Wagga and Hay, planned in the app end to end. Every screen along the way, plus a downloadable PDF of the finished route.
Guide
Dog-friendly road trips across Australia: how to plan one that actually works
A dog changes a road trip. Longer stops, more toilet breaks, and a lot more research into what's actually allowed where you're going. Here's how to plan one properly, and where Muttmates' route planner fits in.