Next up in our Dogs on the Road interview series is Frankie of Follow the Hound. Frankie is our first interview with a European hound so enjoy his perspective on traveling the world.
Hi Frankie! Tell us a little about yourself.
Tell us a little bit about where you have traveled with your family. Have you traveled internationally?
Hi, I’m Frankie, I travel the world with my wonderful owners Ross and Dinia in our old VW Syncro. I’m a Posavac Hound who had a tough life before they found me, but its all great now, and Ross says I will hopefully be the first dog to visit all 7 continents!
It started, a few years ago, I grew up in an area where there are hundreds of dogs roaming the streets, looking for food and trying to stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, one day I was sniffing around the forest and I got my paw stuck in an animal trap. I don’t know how long I was there for, but by the depth of the cuts and how skinny I was, Ross thinks it was for nearly a week!
Luckily, just before it was too late, Ross and Dinia found me while they were camping in their old Land Rover and they decided to share food with me and show me some TLC. They stayed with me for 2 days feeding me and playing with me, but when they thought I was getting better, they had to move on. They started to drive away and I got very upset as these were the nicest people I had ever met. As they pulled away, I started running and luckily, after 2 miles, Ross spotted me in his wing mirror and decided that he was going to keep me!
3 years on now and although I like to escape and run around chasing deer (I am a hound after all) I still live and travel with Ross and Dee. They have even decided to name their website after me. Id love if you would take a look at our adventures at: http://www.followthehound.com
Tell us a little bit about where you have traveled with your family. Have you traveled internationally?
I am from Macedonia, a small former Yugoslavian country in Europe. Ross and Dee found me there and I have been travelling ever since! I have been to almost every country in Europe now which was great, but I am most looking forward to our next trip, to Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, I bet they have some great places for me to explore!
What is your favorite place to travel? Do you like hiking the mountains? Running on the beach?
I was born to hunt and chase everything! I love forests the most, there are just so many smells there for me to follow! As much as I love all of the sights sounds and smells of the outdoors I just get frustrated when I’m there, as I am never allowed to run freely (although, that is my fault because I run for days and Ross always has to spend ages looking for me!)
When you’re traveling do you camp? Stay at hotels? Rent houses?
We nearly always stay in the van, its definitely the best that way for a dog like me! I like that I always feel like I am in my own home wherever we go. I don’t think I would be able to travel for months at a time if I always had to stay in hotels!
Do you have a hard time finding good quality food and water on the road?
I spent the first few years of my life as a street dog! I eat anything!
Have you had any problems with other dogs, either playing at dog parks, or street dogs when traveling?
I haven’t had too many problems! I learned how to deal with those pesky other dogs when I was on the street! I tell them to go away very loudly, then hide away behind Ross. I would never hurt another dog, so I scare them away before they get a chance to hurt me. Only once have I got into trouble with another dog, and that was here, at home in the UK. A nasty man had two nasty Staffordshire Terriers, they saw me from 300 yards away, and ran straight at me. Ross managed to keep one away, but the other grabbed me by the throat, Ross managed to get it off me, and then, not knowing what to do, lifted me up over his head. Then one of the mean dogs bit Ross! He got scared and with nothing else to do, threw me over a tall hedge; I landed on my feet, and ran away as fast as I could. Luckily I was much fasted than them and managed to run all the way home, where I waited for Ross to come and clean my cuts. That was a scary day!
The only other problems I have are when I run away myself! Sometimes my nose gets the better of me, and I chase a deer or a rabbit until I can’t remember my way home! In Poland last year I was gone for days, and Ross and Dee finally found me In a village 20 miles away from where I started! That was the last time I was allowed off a lead.
What don’t you like about traveling? A different bed? Strange water?
I like everything about travelling, sometimes I get bored in the van on long drives, but waking up in a different place with different smells everyday make it all worth it. I sure am a lucky hound!
Thanks so much Frankie! We are thrilled you now have a forever home! Perhaps we’ll meet up someday on the road. Happy Tails.
Aspen & Porter