Alfie is an Irwin no longer
Imagine this: you’re in a cafe in Bridgewater, sipping your coffee, when a gorgeous little red and white pup comes wandering in like he owns the place.
That is how young Irwin came into our care at our Hobart Home. This stray boy, who wasn’t microchipped, was believed to be just 11 weeks old and weighed under 9kg. Our educated guess was that he was a Smithfield-Red Heeler x.
The very handsome young fellow was quickly snapped up by Donna, who wrote to us within weeks to share her happiness with her “new man”.
“I have had him for five weeks now and has he grown into a beautiful, intelligent young man,” she wrote. “Thanks Hans [volunteer and foster carer ‘Helping’ Hans Hermans] so much for showing him to me. The love was instant! He is such a joy in my life.
“The Red Heeler is coming out more in his chest and paws, but he has the beard and fur of a Smithfield. He’s such a fast learner and wonderful with all dogs and humans alike.”
We spoke to Donna again recently and she had only more positives to say about their life together.
“Alfie is such an old soul, even though he is still a puppy,” she said. “He has brought me so much love and affection.
“He loves all dogs, all humans, and his walks. He does like to bark at everything that passes our big yard but with tail wagging and a big smile on his face.”
Like any of us, human or dog, Alfie has his quirks: “He is certainly not a fan of water and baths, but the weirdest thing is, he loves to play in thunderstorms.”
And while we won’t go as far as saying Alfie is spoiled, he certainly has landed himself a slice of the good life. “Alf has a lot of room to run around, and toys and beds everywhere,” Donna said. “And that’s not including my bed inside and his toys and bed inside too.
“He is now seven months old but weighs a whopping 33kg, so I think he might hold a lot more Smithfield in him than Red Heeler,” Donna speculates. “He is just an all-round good boy.
“He jumps on people for cuddles, which I’m having trouble getting him out of, but will not jump on elderly people or people with a walking stick. When he plays with other dogs, he adjusts his play style to suit each dog (such as his special little friend Minnie, for example). He’s unbelievable. As I said, he’s an old soul.”
