This adventure was a whirlwind trip, driving in a ford laser from Perth to Alice Springs and back again in a week. Paul Bradley (photographer), Antony Macalvany (film-maker) and myself Nic Papalia (with Lindy) made this remarkable trip. With limited time, as I could only get a week off from my work place, we left Perth Sunday to arrive at the train station in Alice Springs for the two hour meeting between Donna, Dinky and Lindy - with great haste and determination we arrived in time for this amazing encounter. We camped at night and did not drive as the kangaroo’s were out in force and the danger was overwhelming - a major hazard with constant 'roos' hopping across the road. We were almost washed away one night after setting up tent and a huge storm downpour had us cold and wet on the inside of the tent.

We had changed the tent direction a couple of times and I was tired and fed up with the alterations wanting to just sleep, I uttered "it is just a gentle mist." Loud laughter could be heard from all three of us as the heavens thundered and the lighting continued to fork bolts of vivid flashes across the inside of the canopy all night long.

The trip took on another angle when Lindy, who had previously been in a car for no longer than 15 minutes, came on heat. We enjoyed the country, saw eagles, camels, brumbies, kangaroos, foxes and wild dingoes (four dingoes in the northern territory that we managed to film.)

At the Nullarbor Roadhouse on the return to Perth we met a house keeper who told great stories about the dingoes that were wild dingoes who visited the roadhouse almost every day and night. He stated with anger that authorities from South Australia came out and periodically shot the dingoes that posed no threat to anyone. The diet they ate was rabbit and the workers at the roadhouse had removed a bullet lodged in a dingoes head and still alive. We were told how the staff would close shop and walk to their sleeping quarters down the road 3 kms and the wild dingoes whom the staff all had names for always accompanied them to the dwelling and then ran off to the desert but would return next day to be the inquisitive and curious characters that the dingo is, creating many laughs as they cleaned the cabin rooms and made beds to be surprised by a dingo peering through the door. The dingoes pose no harm or danger to anybody and the staff at the roadhouse voiced their objection to the mindless and cruel shootings that over zealous officials had carried out on a regular basis. We met remarkable people and the Territorians themselves are a most friendly bunch.

3 Dingos at the Train Station It was a unique connection at the train station with people mingling round the dingoes and photographs being taken by journalists and locals at the station all captivated by the presence of these remarkable dogs. The meeting of the three dingoes - Lindy from the west, Dinky [more] from the red centre and Donna from the east in June 2004 saw these dingoes serve as ambassadors for their breed.

Nic and Lindy - "The best bitch I know"!

The rigid laws enforced against people owning a pet dingo are still in effect in South Australia and Queensland. This highlights the narrow-mindedness and the much needed alterations to save the dingo breed from extinction. There are some people in positions of authority that could eradicate these draconian laws to help the dingo breed sustain and exist by conservation through domestication; this has not been the case as the powers that be appear to have their own agenda and own vested interest that forgets about the forgotten Aussie Icon. Some of the "self proclaimed experts" have damaged the breed’s prospects through ignorant comments about the dog being a lousy pet. Nothing could be further from the truth. A basic "right" of the dingo is to be a recognised breed of dog (it is the parent of all dogs - canis lupus dingo, after the wolf - canis lupus). The dingo is the most pure in blood strain having no alterations in the breeding pattern until recently when formerly domesticated dogs now gone wild have bred with the dingo and tainted the pure blood line. The dingo has a right to exist and it is strange that politicians set in place laws to eradicate and make extinct this treasure.

The dingo does not bark, it is neutral of dog odour and the most prolific of colours in the breed are the red/tan with about 10% being black (woodlands) and only 1% of the Alpine dingo that are white. Aboriginal peoples across the continent of Australia had pet dingoes. Warrigal or Tingo (the first settlers mistakenly thought the word Tingo which means "tame" was dingo ) was the name given by indigenous people in Australia. The first European settlers documented testimonials about their pet dingoes.

In the wild the dingo is breeding with former domesticated dogs, which is destroying the bloodline. Pet dingoes deserve the choice and rights that all other breeds have - a basic equality and right including agility and competition, which will ensure and enable the dingo survives for all prosperity. My pet dingo, Lindy is an Alpine dingo having had DNA testing on her family stock at the University of Melbourne, which came from Bruce Jacobs dingo farm in Castlemaine. Bruce Jacobs dedicated his life and knowledge of the breed to educate people about what wonderful pets a dingo will make with nurturing, love and understanding. Conservation through domestication of the dingo was Bruce Jacobs strongest point which often caused him abuse from those feeling threatened. Unfortunately Bruce Jacobs who was an expert in the field of dingoes died in November 2004. He was found on the property dead on the floor of his house with one of his favourite dingoes asleep next to his side.

After meeting with Donna the guide dingo I called the Western Australian branch of blind guide dogs, after seeing an article in the newspaper about the cost in training a guide dog. Thinking it might be a great way to attract donations from the community I proposed that Lindy could be photographed with a golden Labrador for donations. After a meeting with the powers that concern this fundraiser I was informed that they would not use a dingo as there were problems with even getting the most basic of changes such as a black Labrador rather than the usual yellow for guide dogs in Western Australia. This seemed quite stupid to me as the blind cannot see anyway and would not care what colour or type of dog was a support as long as they were supportive and if the dingo created more funds it would only be an advantage for those requiring help.