"Pinch, punch, first of the month!"
I never win that game .....
How's a dog supposed to know
that any day has got a date?
Doggo

Barry the Saint Bernard

https://www.fetchpetcare.com/blog/top-5-insane-true-dog-stories/

We all know how large and monstrous Saint Bernards are. But they’re nothing but big, cuddly bears. Originally, they were bred as rescue dogs in cold, harsh climates. They always went out on missions in sets of two so, once the person was found, one would sit on them for warmth while the other went for help.

Barry the Saint Bernard was so good at what he did, rescuing over 40 victims during the course of his 12 years, that event to this day, there’s always a rescue dog named Barry at the monastery where the original lived.

EDITOR ~   Today is really May 1st, for Antipodeans in the lands Down Under: folk in other strange lands, living in the past, will simply have to catch up, if they can. Maybe it's a bit like a dog chasing its tail, with 24 time zones as the hound whirls around, getting somewhat dizzy .....

Here are your slippers ..... Ruff!
Sorry about the chews.
Couldn't resist the temptations.
A dogs gotta do what a dogs gotta doos.
Doggo

Golden retriever puppy undergoes emergency x-ray and endoscopy after swallowing fork 
Camron Slessor & Matthew Smith, 29 April 2020, ABC News Online

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-29/golden-retriever-puppy-has-fork-removed-from-stomach-by-vets/12196760

As their name suggests, golden retrievers are known for retrieving things — not for having things retrieved from inside them.

But a lucky five-month-old golden retriever puppy called Dustin is now making a full recovery at home after swallowing a fork.

The puppy was rushed to the Adelaide Animal Emergency and Referral Centre for an emergency endoscopy to find and remove the large piece of cutlery.

"If I didn't have my training, I would have been concerned that someone had doctored the photo," said vet Matt Woodruff after viewing an x-ray.

The dog's owners Elise and Michael Pitt, of Glengowrie in Adelaide's south-west, said they had just walked away from the dinner table for a moment on Sunday when Dustin jumped up onto the table.

"The dog got his paws up and pulled the plate down and scoffed the lot," Ms Pitt said.

"We then had to work out whether he'd eaten the fork or not, so the whole plate was on the floor and because we were yelling at him he was obviously trying so hard to finish it [and] scoffed the fork and ravioli and all."

Ms Pitt said panic set in when she and her husband could not find the fork.

"Straight away it was like, 'where is it, is it in there?'" she said.

"I've opened his mouth, had a look, can't see anything, then we're searching the floor trying to find the fork, but it was nowhere to be found, so we had to make the phone call."

The dog's owners were only too happy to fork out to remove the utensil, and the animal centre posted a video on social media that showed how vets carried out the procedure.

Not alone tonight.
Someone else is in the dog house.
What did they do wrong
to be sent out like a mouse?
Doggo

The Thunder Dog

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder_the_Dog

Thunder the Dog (also credited as Thunder the Marvel Dog; born September 7, 1921—death after October 1928) was a male German Shepherd that performed in American silent films from 1923 through 1927. Although Thunder's filmography is rather brief, his six- and seven-reel features were much longer and more elaborate than the films in which many of his fellow canine actors appeared during the silent era. His releases did, though, have to compete in the 1920s with other feature films starring rival German Shepherds such as Peter the Great, Napoleon, Rex, and, most notably, Strongheart and Rin Tin Tin. During his career, Thunder worked for Paramount, Gotham Pictures, and Fox Film Corporation; and he shared screen time with Clara Bow, Dorothy Dalton, William Russell, Caryl Lincoln, and other prominent actors of the period.

What fur to wear today?
I'll look in me house .....
How about this old blanket?
I've naught else to go out .....
Doggo

His Master's Voice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Master%27s_Voice

His Master's Voice (HMV) was the unofficial name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd.[1] The phrase was first coined in the 1890s as the title of a painting depicting a terrier-mix dog named Nipper listening to a wind-up disc gramophone. In the original painting, the dog is listening to a cylinder phonograph. It is a famous trademark in the recording industry.

In the 1970s, the statue of the dog and gramophone, His Master's Voice, were cloaked in bronze and was awarded by the record company (EMI) to artists or music producers or composers as a music award and often only after selling more than 100,000 recordings.

What does "Be good!" mean anyway?
It was only a hole down the back,
nice and deep for lots of bones.
A working dog is never slack!
Doggo

Famous Dogs in History

https://dogs-in-history.blogspot.com/2019/07/rufus-winston-churchills-beloved-poodle.html

Rufus became famous as the little poodle who followed Churchill around while the Prime Minister successfully led Britain through WW II. 

Sir Winston Churchill, the former Prime Minister of the UK, was known as the British Bulldog because of his no-nonsense temperament, and some say his looks. So, you would think being an animal lover, a bulldog might be his favorite dog. Actually he did have a bulldog named Dodo, as well as many other animals in his life, but the one that held a really special place in his heart was his little poodle Rufus.

The two were almost inseparable. Rufus was often at Churchill's side while the Prime Minister dealt with the hardships of World War II. The dog would join him at luncheons and official meetings, but when he wasn't invited Churchill would kindly give his poodle a reason. For instance "No, Rufus, I haven't found it necessary to ask you to join the wartime cabinet."

When the two weren't dealing with business, Rufus led a rather leisure life at the Prime Minister's lodgings. Not only was he allowed to dine with the family, he was served first before the others could eat. He was also privileged to sit on his master's lap when looking at the screen. Once when the two were watching a scene from Oliver Twist, Churchill covered the dog's eyes when the character Bill Sykes drowned a dog. He told Rufus "Don't look now, dear. I'll tell you about it afterwards."

Sadly, in 1947 Rufus was hit by a car and died while Churchill was away at a political conference. The British Bulldog was devastated.

Shortly after the death of Rufus, the Managing Editor of Life Magazine gave Churchill a poodle that looked a lot like Rufus. In fact, Churchill named the dog Rufus II but said the II was silent. Rufus II went on to live a long and happy life. 

Through glazed eyes
I watch the mists unseen
where I go in time's storms
to become the dog I must be
Doggo

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Rin_Tin_Tin

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin is an American children's television program. Beginning in October 1954 until May 1959, 164 episodes originally aired on ABC television network. It starred Lee Aaker as Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid, who was being raised by the soldiers at a US Cavalry post known as Fort Apache. He and his German shepherd dog, Rin Tin Tin, helped the soldiers to establish order in the American West.  James E. Brownappeared as Lieutenant Ripley "Rip" Masters. Co-stars included Joe Sawyer as Sergeant Biff O'Hara and Rand Brooks as Corporal Randy Boone.

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin S01E30 O'Hara Gets Busted ~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggA6Oqn_wUI

Hello there tail
what a wag you are
I'm gunna catch that tail
goings round but not too far
Doggo

A New Origin Story for Dogs

Ed Yong, 2 June 2016, The Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/06/the-origin-of-dogs/484976/

Tens of thousands of years ago, before the internet, before the Industrial Revolution, before literature and mathematics, bronze and iron, before the advent of agriculture, early humans formed an unlikely partnership with another animal—the grey wolf. The fates of our two species became braided together. The wolves changed in body and temperament. Their skulls, teeth, and paws shrank. Their ears flopped. They gained a docile disposition, becoming both less frightening and less fearful. They learned to read the complex expressions that ripple across human faces. They turned into dogs.

Today, dogs are such familiar parts of our lives—our reputed best friends and subject of many a meme—that it’s easy to take them, and what they represent, for granted. Dogs were the first domesticated animals, and their barks heralded the Anthropocene. We raised puppies well before we raised kittens or chickens; before we herded cows, goats, pigs, and sheep; before we planted rice, wheat, barley, and corn; before we remade the world.

What's that pounding on the ground?
A dog can't get any sleep!
Oh ..... it's my tail again .....
Some dreams are just too deep.
Doggo

Stray Dog Shocks The Whole Country by Doing A MIRACLE 

[Warning: Graphic Content]

https://www.bbncommunity.com/stray-dog-shocks-the-whole-country-by-doing-a-miracle-warning-graphic-content/

In an absolutely unbelievable incident, a stray dog in Oman found and rescued a newborn baby and carried him through the desert till it was rescued.

Authorities in Oman are opening investigations after a really unbelievable incident that happened in the country and surprised the nation, the story quickly went viral throughout the Arab world as people shared it on social media.

The story took place in Kharbika, Oman. As a man was riding his bike on the morning of Last Saturday, the man noticed a stray dog walking on the road with something in his mouth. He noticed blood drops on the road and went closer to the dog to take a closer look, and when he did, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

The dog was holding a NEWBORN in his mouth, the boy must have been only a couple of hours old!!

The baby even had his umbilical cord still attached!!

The man ran towards the dog in an attempt to save the child, he thought the dog was going to eat the child, if this was true, the dog would’ve put up a fight for him.

As people gathered around the scene, the dog didn’t do anything to prevent them taking the child from him, it was if he was delivering him to them.

People were a bit surprised at the dog’s reaction, but this is what you would expect from dogs, stray dogs or pets, dogs are good animals by nature.

The look on the dog’s eyes has a thousand meaning, ” Help him?”, or “what a cruel world”

As it happened, the dog was wandering near a hospital ( maybe he was trying to find it? ), and so the child was transferred to the emergency room quickly and there, the doctors couldn’t believe their eyes, the child was not hurt, even though the dog must have been holding him like that for god knows how long.

Miraculously, the child is absolutely fine!

The authorities in Oman have opened an investigation and is trying to figure out what happened. The police had checked all the hospitals’ records as they suspected the dog could’ve grabbed the baby from there, but all the mothers had their babies and no one was missing.

However, witnesses in the hospitals have told the police that a girl came earlier to the emergency room but refused to let the doctor check her if he was going to record it, and she fled the hospital. The police fear that this girl might be the mother of the child, and that she gave birth to the child and threw him somewhere where people couldn’t find him, but this dog did, and somehow he knew where to head to save this baby!

Isn’t this just absolutely Incredible!!

Even in the remote parts of the world, the cruelty of the deserts, dogs can prove they are angels that fell from the sky.

Can we go hunting?
I love to chase mice.
Learned that from cat.
Be ready in a trice.
Doggo

Madina 

Russia, 2013

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20151012-feral-the-children-raised-by-wolves

“These strange, feral children are often a source of shame and secrecy within a family or community,” writes Mary-Ann Ochota on her website. “These aren't Jungle Book stories, they're often harrowing cases of neglect and abuse. And it's all too likely because of a tragic combination of addiction, domestic violence and poverty. These are kids who fell through the cracks, who were forgotten, or ignored, or hidden.” According to Fullerton-Batten, “Madina lived with dogs from birth until she was three years old, sharing their food, playing with them, and sleeping with them when it was cold in winter. When social workers found her in 2013, she was naked, walking on all fours and growling like a dog. Madina’s father had left soon after her birth. Her mother, 23 years old, took to alcohol. She was frequently too drunk to look after for her child and… would sit at the table to eat while her daughter gnawed bones on the floor with the dogs.” Madina was taken into care and doctors found her to be mentally and physically healthy despite what she had been through. (Credit: Julia Fullerton-Batten)

In a circus parade once
marching by an elephant
until dog catcher takes me
to a place much less elegant
Doggo

Lassie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassie

Lassie is a fictional character created by Eric Knight. She is a female Rough Collie dog, and is featured in a short story that was later expanded to a full-length novel called Lassie Come-Home. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another fictional female collie of the same name, featured in the British writer Elizabeth Gaskell's 1859 short story "The Half Brothers". In "The Half Brothers", Lassie is loved only by her young master and guides the adults back to where two boys are lost in a snowstorm.

Published in 1940, Knight's novel was filmed by MGM in 1943, as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six other MGM feature films through 1951. Pal's owner and trainer Rudd Weatherwax then acquired the Lassie name and trademark from MGM and appeared with Pal (as "Lassie") at rodeos, fairs, and similar events across America in the early 1950s. In 1954, the long-running, Emmywinning television series Lassie debuted, and, over the next 19 years, a succession of Pal's descendants appeared on the series. The "Lassie" character has appeared in radio, television, film, toys, comic books, animated series, juvenile novels, and other media. Pal's descendants continue to play Lassie today.

The True Story Of Lassie, America’s Classic Collie

https://barkpost.com/life/lassie-television-dog/

The Story Of Lassie ~ The Hollywood Collection

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icb1W5z81Pw

I wasn't feeling hungry
until tucker time came
and then I was starving
but it all vanished away
Doggo

The Dog on the Tucker Box

https://www.thedogonthetuckerbox.com

The Dog on the Tuckerbox is an Australian historical monument and tourist attraction, located at Snake Gully, five miles (8 km) from Gundagai, New South Wales. The dog section of the monument was cast in bronze by 'Oliver's Foundry' Sydney and its base sculpted by Gundagai stonemason Frank Rusconi and was unveiled by the then Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons on 28 November 1932 as a tribute to pioneers. The statue was inspired by a bullock driver's poem, Bullocky Bill, which celebrates the life of a mythical driver's dog that loyally guarded the man's tuckerbox (Australian English for lunch box) until death.

A dog monument had been first erected at a site nine miles from Gundagai in 1926.

Bullocky Bill the story was written by an otherwise unknown poet who used the pen name 'Bowyang Yorke' and first printed in 1857. A later poem by Jack Moses drew on the Bowyang Yorke poem for inspiration and was published in the 1920s. The latter poem was very popular and was the inspiration for the statue.  Moses's poem, Nine Miles from Gundagai was first published in 1938, several years after the statue's unveiling. Jack O'Hagan's song, Where the Dog Sits on the Tuckerbox (5 miles from Gundagai) was published in 1937.

Frank Rusconi had suggested a memorial using the legend of the Dog on the Tuckerbox in 1928. However, in 1932 the proposal was taken up by the community. The Gundagai Independent of 11 August 1932 wrote:

"A Monument should be erected at the Nine Mile peg dedicated to the pioneers and bullockies, who made the highway of today possible. And there should be an unveiling ceremony during 'Back to Gundagai Week’.”

FIND OUT MORE ON THE WEBSITE ~

https://www.thedogonthetuckerbox.com

Gundagai banks on dog to bring tourists
24 July 2010
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op5Zvbw1Rls

Slim Dusty sings an old Australian folk song .....

Along The Road To Gundagai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1KH9qBWK1E

Didn't want to go!!!
Dogs have rights too!!!
But now I'm here,
with food to chew.
Doggo

Mutts’ mansion: check out the Coast’s best doghouse

Jack Houghton, 25 April 2015, Gold Coast Bulletin

https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/lifestyle/pets-and-wildlife/mutts-mansion-check-out-the-coasts-best-doghouse/news-story/66d668ea081dcbc1eda151fe47e8cf0c

THIS could be the most “pawfect” doghouse on the Coast.

The luxurious multistorey home has sensor lights, auto-refilling water bowls and ­insulated walls but at $10,000, it is designed for only the most pampered of pooches.

Currumbin Waters man Sean Longhurst said it took him two months and hundreds of hours to build the ­extravagant house for his three dogs.

“I started out building a small structure to keep them warm in the colder months and I got a bit carried away,” he said.

“After a few weeks I put in a second level and started getting really creative.

Mr Longhurst said the project made him fall in love with the doghouse construction industry and he vowed to start a business.

“I want people to send me photos of their houses and I’ll build them replicas for their dogs,” he said.

Stranger came again today
Talk of taking me away
That'll be the day
I want to stay
Doggo

Frida: rescue dog saves lives after quakes and wins hearts around the world Madly Odd

https://madlyodd.com/frida-rescue-dog-saves-lives-quakes-wins-hearts-around-world/

When buildings collapse in earthquakes, there are often survivors buried under the rubble. Before anyone can even begin the job of trying to dig them out, they have to be located first. This is where a trained rescue dog can make a huge difference. After the September 7th earthquake shook Oaxaca and Chiapas, the Mexican navy’s canine unit sent one of its rescue dogs to help search for survivors. Frida is a beautiful Labrador who will risk her own life to try and save people amid the aftermath of a disaster. In Oaxaca, she managed to locate over 50 survivors. When the second quake struck near Puebla, Frida was immediately sent there.

What's blow'n on the wind today?
The cry for love never goes away.
Listening hard ..... it's all around .....
a gentle grin can make love stay.
Doggo

Why Is Balto So Special?

https://www.centralparktoursnyc.com/balto/

In January 21st, 1925, in Nome, Alaska, there was an outbreak of an infection known as Diptheria. This infection may trigger breathing difficulties, as well as paralysis and heart failure. It’s in infection which may be fatal.

Unfortunately, supplies of the serum (antitoxin) for Diphtheria were in short supply when the outbreak occurred. Some children in Nome were not able to get the antitoxin when they needed it the most.

This is where Balto the sled dog came in. This brave and loyal Siberian husky was a “lead dog”. Balto guided his team on the last relay of the “serum run”. He helped the sled’s human operator (operators of dog sleds are known as “mushers”) to get through a terrible blizzard.

Relay of twenty dog sled teams travelled an astonishing 674 miles to get supplies of the antitoxin from Nenana to Nome!

In recognition of the canine’s amazing bravery, a sculptor from Brooklyn, named Frederick George Richard Roth, was hired to create a statue of Balto. Roth has other sculptures in Central Park, including Dancing Goat, Dancing Bear and Mother Goose.

The statue of Balto was unveiled on December 17 of 1925. Thanks to group of NY dog lovers who raised money to erect bronze statue of heroic dog and Balto was there to see it on that special day.

Balto embodied everything that is wonderful about dogs. Balto must have suffered greatly as he guided the sled across the unforgiving Alaskan landscape. However, he never faltered.

For ninety years, this charming statue has been beloved by Central Park visitors. Children hug the statue and pretend to ride it. In fact, the statue gets so much attention and love that it’s become burnished around the back and ears.

Upon the statue’s plaque, you’ll find the words, “Endurance – Fidelity – Intelligence”. As you can see, Balto remains a wonderful role model for little ones who find him in Central Park. He’s not a bad role model for adults, either.

Did you hear the siren?
Such a glorious sound,
as dogs start howling
all across town.
Doggo

City of Wanneroo annual Dog’s Breakfast in Madeley expected to get tails wagging
Wanneroo Times, 2 October 2018
https://www.perthnow.com.au/community-news/wanneroo-times/city-of-wanneroo-annual-dogs-breakfast-in-madeley-expected-to-get-tails-wagging-c-863767

FURRY residents in the City of Wanneroo will be lapping up attention at the annual Dog’s Breakfast this month.

The canine-friendly event returns to Kingsway Regional Sporting Complex in Madeley on October 21, offering a variety of activities, exhibits, competitions, workshops, entertainment and giveaways.

Some of the highlights include free vet checks, a pooch-friendly photo booth, dog training, an animal kinesiology Q & A, onsite micro-chipping and children’s activities.

Do you love me?
I never stop loving you.
Do you still love me?
You can rub my tummy too.
Doggo

Fala – Scottish Terrier
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Sculpture by Neil Estern

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. – one of Washington’s top attractions – is dedicated to the memory of the 32nd President of the United States (1933-45) for leading the U.S. through the Great Depression and World War II. The monument is located in West Potomac Park between the Tidal Basin and the Potomac River. The impressive park-like memorial, which is spread over 7.5 acres, was dedicated on May 2, 1997 by President Bill Clinton.
It comprises four open-air “rooms” with waterfalls symbolizing peace. The four rooms represent Roosevelt’s four terms as President. In one room, Roosevelt depicted in a loose-fitting cloak that obscures the chair, with his hands folded; it is reminiscent of the photo taken at the Yalta Conference in 1945. Anybody who was old enough to witness the end of the Second World War is familiar with the photo that shows Roosevelt dressed in a cloak and seated between Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin.

For dog fanciers, this room is the most interesting because Roosevelt is accompanied by Fala, his Scottish Terrier. Another statue, placed near the memorial entrance in 2001, shows the President seated in a wheelchair, with Fala beside him.

A Christmas Gift .....

Fala was born on April 7, 1940, and was an early Christmas gift to Roosevelt from Mrs. Augustus G. Kellogg of Westport, Connecticut, through Roosevelt’s sixth cousin, Margaret “Daisy” Suckley (1891-1991). Daisy raised Scottish Terriers and became a close friend and confidante of the President, as well as an archivist for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. During World War II, Daisy often stayed for long visits at the White House. 

Slept in again today
for the second time around
too many dreams to chase away
where dog is king of the town
Doggo

The CGI dog from 'The Call of the Wild' with Harrison Ford was based on a real rescue dog named Buckley
Kirsten Acuna, 3 April 2020, Insider

https://www.insider.com/call-of-the-wild-real-life-dog-2020-4

The dog in 20th Century Fox's "The Call of the Wild," starring Harrison Ford may be computer animated, but Buck is also based on a real-life rescue dog.

"We began the movie with an animated dog and the design was based on a Bernese Mountain Dog," said director Chris Sanders in an exclusive clip provided to Insider.

There was just one problem. That's not the dog described in the book of the same name by Jack London.

Sanders' wife saw a rescue dog listed on a website that was a mix between a Scotch Collie and St. Bernard. The kicker that won them over was that the shelter named the dog Buckley.

"The Call of the Wild" is currently available on digital release. And if you want to see more of Buckley, he has his own Instagram account written in the first person that's sure to make you smile.

YouTube ~

https://youtu.be/xGPg0ALz858 

THE CALL OF THE WILD Trailer (2020) ~

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1LG9So2ZBk&vl=en

Some dogs love a song.
They can sing all night long,
but I stay quiet as a mouse at night
so my days will be more long.
Doggo

Golden Retriever Surprises Owner With A Baby Koala Whose Life She Just Saved 
Rokas Laurinavičius, April 2019, BoredPanda

https://www.boredpanda.com/golden-retriever-asha-saving-abandoned-baby-koala-kerry-mckinnon/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Recently, Kerry McKinnon from Strathdownie in Western Victoria received a surprised from her golden retriever Asha that’s probably impossible for any other dog owner in the world to get.

You see, temperatures in the area sometimes plummet to 5C (41F) in the early hours. And not every animal has a fur coat as warm as Asha.

“It was quite early in the morning, and my husband yelled out to me to come have a look at something,” Kerry, 45, told News.com.au. “I didn’t know what he was talking about at first, but then I saw this tiny baby koala snuggled on top of Asha.”

Kerry admitted the moment caught her completely off-guard, and she wasn’t exactly supportive of her cute dog’s heroism. “I just burst out laughing. Poor Asha didn’t know what to think; she just kept looking at me with such a confused look,” McKinnon added. “She looked a bit guilty when I came out to see what was going on. Her expression was hilarious.”

“She kept looking back at the koala bear, but she wasn’t trying to get him off her or anything. She was happy to let him snuggle into her.”

The old dog gets so tired
sleeping in the sun and dreaming
then bounces up like a pup
at the call for feeding
Doggo

NuNu's Fresh Market in Youngsville to offer smart dog houses for pet loving customers

Victoria Dodge, The Daily Advertiser, 23 September 2019

https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2019/09/23/nunus-fresh-market-youngsville-offer-smart-dog-houses-pet-loving-customers/2353543001/

Dogs+Car Rides=Fun. But health codes that restrict places from allowing pets and leaving animals in cars is always tricky.

NuNu's Fresh Market wanted to give another option.

DogSpot, smart dog houses outside of storefronts, are coming to the Youngsville grocery store.

The shelters are climate-controlled, have emergency releases, backup batteries, cameras, temperature tracking, are made of non-porous material, and are sanitized between each use using UV technology to kill things like parvovirus.

Upgrades to play music and the ability to speak to the pets are coming soon.

Sometimes I sits and listens
for sounds from distant hill
catching news from far away
best heard when night is still
Doggo

Meet Covid, one man's best friend in isolation amid outbreak of pet concerns

ABC News Online, 10 April 2020

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-11/publish-saturday-am-meet-covid2c-the-adopted-dog-with-the-name/12130590

When Bernie Williams calls to his new adopted dog, he admits it raises a few eyebrows.

The 22-year-old exercise physiologist is among hundreds of Australians who have adopted animals to cope with loneliness in self-isolation during the outbreak, but he might be the only one who has named his dog Covid.

*********

Mr Williams, a Queenslander who moved away from family in January to take up a new job in Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia, described his adopted pet as his "self-isolation mate”. 

And as for concerns there could be a significant increase in the number of animals being surrenderedonce the lockdown was over, Mr Williams said there was no chance of that happening with Covid.

"I had to leave my other dog at home in Queensland and just after I moved over he died, so I've picked up this little fella," he said.

"At the moment I've got a housemate, but he could be heading off any time.

"I could be living alone pretty soon for a long time, so it will be good to have another presence around the house … he'll be my mate in isolation."

"My housemate came up with the name and I think he hit the nail on the head with it.”

FILM ~

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2909731399082696