Oh, Marrisa – it’s totally safe for dogs. The paddock around the house is fenced so the bassets could roam free. We had them on leads for walks through the farm though as there was stock around but on the beach they could run about. I’d recommend it definitely as a place to stay. They’re booked up over the holidays so best to check dates if you’d like to go. It’s a long drive – 6 hours – but if you stage it with breaks every couple of hours and share the drive load it’s really not so bad. The country is beautiful and the traffic light. Typical kiwi really!