I wouldn’t hazard to suggest that I am a dog of distinguished reputation.
There aren’t many canines that lay claim to the role of culture manager, and even fewer that would hold the position at an agency as illustrious as Pesel & Carr.
So yes, I’m a proud dog. But despite this pride I still find myself intimidated at times, when I’m faced with other dogs of distinguished reputation.
For example, when our board member Tony Hallam recently popped into the office, I couldn’t help but perk my ears. Tony was discussing his new dog, a Golden Retriever/Maremma sheep dog cross. Now we’re all familiar with Golden Retrievers – charming, insufferably adorable, smug and loyal. They have a loving temperament and make for great family dogs. I was less familiar with the Maremma breed, but not anymore. After a quick consultation with Burke from Burke’s backyard, the intimidation really started to kick in…
If anyone is familiar with the film Oddball, they will be acquainted with the breed. Not only are they cute and cuddly, but they have also been employed to guard penguins!
Middle island is home to a colony of the world’s smallest penguins. There used to hundreds of them, but that was before the foxes started attacking. In one particularly vicious incident, 360 penguins were killed over two nights. The penguins faced being wiped out on the island, before a farmer suggested sending one of his Maremma dogs to protect them. Amazingly, since that day, not a single penguin has been killed by a fox on Middle Island.
Suddenly my barks to welcome clients and therapeutic walks with staff don’t seem so impressive. How am I supposed to compete with a dog like that!?
