Labra-cadabra-dor – Anything is Paws-ible!
Despite voracious appetites and action-packed days preferably splashing around water, Darrell and Nirvana think nothing is more paws-ible after a ruff day than lolling on the fur-niture, writes Helen Flanagan.
One of the world’s most beloved and famous breeds, the British Labrador was imported from Newfoundland in the late 1800s, and named after the Labrador region where its ancestors were bred to function as fishermen’s friends, hauling in nets and retrieving fish for their masters.
These days Labradors with waterproof double coat and otter-like tail, excel on the front line in day-to-day life as guide and special assistance dogs that gamely allow their ears and tail to be tugged by children. They also greet park walkers with endearingly whiffy, woefully wet, sometimes muddy yet seriously happy faces.
And for one local fur family, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
As a kid, Nigel Lee loved the family pet tagging along on every adventure especially swimming in the waterways around Tuncurry on the NSW north coast. In the early 2000s, he and artist wife Lisa bought a house, checked an ad for a litter of chocolate labs and knew one look later, one “little chocolate bear” was going to live with them in Tewantin.
Clearly besotted by the intelligent breed, one became two for playmate’s sake, also they understood implicitly, dogs do not live long enough.
“Over the years, when we farewelled our much-loved companions we found it necessary to welcome a new personality to fill the void,” explained Nigel, the manager of Sails Restaurant. “We have always had two dogs, one about four years older than the other and each one taking its turn to be the top dog in the Lee household.
“These days it is Darrell, who is named after the famous Australian chocolate company. He is eight, a big chocolate teddy bear who loves people more than dogs, will often run to complete strangers greeting them with adorable lab sounds, sort of like a chimp and is a complete guts.
“He will do anything for a crust, going so far as to produce a puddle of drool if his ‘feed me now’ puppy eyes do not eventuate a response within minutes.”
Nirvana the black beauty, exudes personality possibly too much when at 12 months old, she became a drop-out from the Smart Pups training program. She is incredibly active and a smart cookie, although thinks she’s a lap dog, not a 32kg lab dog, looking for cuddles on the couch.
They may be crazy puppies for up to two years, are fantastic, compassionate family dogs, however even after standard puppy school, Nigel says “we tried to discipline ourselves but to be honest, we have probably failed them relying on the fact, they will do anything for food.”
Dinner is gone within 60 seconds, and after 30 minutes they are back for more.
“Darrell is always happy but in true lab style, he could eat to his own death,” says Nigel. “I recently had him at the after-hours emergency vet (think mega $s), as he was exceptionally bloated. Tests and x-rays later we were told he was OK but had a lot of food in his stomach. Hard to figure that out as we had only fed him the usual amount.
“The following day I caught him snacking away at a hole he had made in a bag of dog food tucked away in our laundry. Seems he had been gorging himself for days.”
Exercise is important and they love the Weyba Creek leash-free doggy park.
“Darrell loves meeting people, some dogs and chasing balls into the water as opposed to Nirvana who only likes catching frisbees,” Nigel says. “She can often be a little precious. After running for a while, she gets hot and needs to cool down and naturally a favourite way is to find water by sniffing it out. Even if it is a half-dried muddy puddle, she will find it and they will relish rolling in it.
“I’m dismayed just looking at them and so annoyed because I hadn’t packed a towel but need to get them in the car and home for a wash.
“At the end of the day all is forgiven. Whether returning home from the shop or work, anyone would think we’ve been away for a month, they’re so excited to see us!” How Labrador-able!
