Murphy's Family Outing to the Wolves
On an autumnal Sunday, our Frenchie breeder Johanna Fritthum organised a group trip to Wildpark Ernstbrunn. The puppies and youngsters are meant to get to know various wild animals as early as possible — and of course the older ones are welcome too. Since Che had already visited the wolves a year before, I decided to take Murphy on his own. That way I could focus entirely on him.
Getting There.
The meeting point is a relaxed 11 a.m. at the car park by the wildlife park. Since my mum is coming along, Murphy and I leave Baden around half past nine and potter off towards Vienna. With a little help from the sat nav we find Ernstbrunn easily, and the wildlife park is well signposted from there. The three of us arrive nice and early at 10:45 a.m. The direct drive from Baden would be 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Murphy's Family.
And so Red Murphy (as his full registered name reads) meets Sri Lanka, Trinidad, Ravi, Lilo the frenchie, little sister Romy, Qju Maddox, Jack, Sigi, Tao and his furry pal Browny on the generously sized two-part car park. After a warm greeting and a curious sniff of some partly unfamiliar relatives, we head over to the ticket area. We pay up and catch our first glimpse of the animals. Papa Emilio and Tornado join our gang shortly afterwards.
What Is There to Discover?
And so 13 Frenchies set off with 11 two-legged companions, heading first to some goats and donkeys. The youngsters Romy, Qju Maddox and Murphy find it especially exciting, since the goats aren't the least bit skittish and keep cheekily trotting up to the fence.
Since Johanna is making her way around with the pram for the puppies, she takes the flatter route and our pack temporarily splits up. We explore the spacious enclosures of the wildlife park along gently hilly gravel paths. We visit wild boar and pot-bellied pigs, meet Highland cattle, find ourselves again and again sharing space with fallow deer, and stand face to face with the much-anticipated wolves. All the animals are taken in intently through the nose and observed with great curiosity. The domestic dogs do bark back a little in return — a Frenchie simply must make his presence known. ;)
Lunch Stop.
Through an autumnal stretch of meadow and woodland we make our way to the newly reopened "Hexenküche" at the Ziegelofenteich. There we meet up with Johanna again and have lunch together. Everything is taken care of, from various sausages and jacket potatoes through to dessert and coffee. Then we wait until the fenced-in playground is free of children and let our gang off the lead so they can get to know each other better and have a play. Droppings are of course disposed of conscientiously.
It is delightful to watch how Emilio handles his offspring. He does have to give Murphy a firm word once, but it is absolutely warranted — the youngster is going through a particularly cheeky phase right now. Otherwise everything runs smoothly. We also get a lovely visit from another female dog.
Pumpkin Season.
One by one a few family members say their goodbyes, and soon the die-hards also make their way towards the exit. A very lovely, educational and varied visit draws to a close. Back at the car park, Murphy is already pulling towards the car.
He is, in the truest sense of the word: dog-tired!!
We set off for home so the "teenager" can have a rest and then fill Che in on his big adventure.
With Halloween just around the corner, there are some lovely pumpkins to admire and take home before heading back into the village of Ernstbrunn. We spot them from the car — Qju Maddox and Lilo the frenchie get a close-up look and love it.
Facts.
The wildlife park is located in Dörfles near Ernstbrunn, just 40 km north of Vienna.
Opening hours
Admission prices
Dogs on a lead are very welcome.
- Dogs are only permitted in the park on a short lead.
- Do not leave the signposted paths!
- Respect visitor barriers!
- Do not reach through fences!
- Keep all doors closed — or close them immediately after passing through!
- Feeding the animals is only permitted with animal feed available for purchase at the wildlife park.
As of October 2017.
Click here to go straight to the visitor information page for Wildpark Ernstbrunn.
