While we are all keeping our distance and staying home as much as possible, we thought we would bring you the inside scoop from Dr Mark's pooch, Abby. She has kindly agreed to keep a diary of her time with Dr Mark and his family as they work and study from home on the Sunshine Coast.

Abby Perissinotto - Labrador and food critic

Isolation - Day 60

Dear Diary,

It has been 2 months with everyone at home now and I love having everyone around so much, especially my Dad. He does seem to spend way too much time in front of the thing he calls his "lap book", instead of showering me with food and pats like he should be.

Hmm what is this black spaghetti...

I hear Dad talking on the Zoom all the time now too and thought I should contribute something important to the conversation so last night I joined in the meeting. You should have seen how happy all the little faces on the lap book were to see me! I was the star of the show!
It has been cool at night time here on the Sunshine Coast. To keep myself and my family warm I like to steal my brothers thongs to make them chase me around. I also take the thongs to bed at night to keep me warm. They are not as smelly as my brothers.

Cuddling with my brothers thong to stay warm

Got to go. Dad's on the lap book again and needs interrupting. It's very important doggy work.
Until next time friends,
Abby

Isolation - Day 30

Dear Diary,
I had the best walk ev-er today! Dad took me down to the boat ramp and we walked by the river. Oh the smells! The gooey-slimey-rancidy-seafood odour was everywhere. I had sooooo many things to explore. Scraps of gooey fish bits, abandoned bait, unidentified smelly things half buried amongst the mangroves. All so delectably smelly! Dad wasn't overly impressed when I unearthed one of the latter and began to crunch down on it enthusiastically however. He is such a spoil sport!

Note to self for future reference - fisherman can get a tad cranky with you when you start eyeing off their bait bucket. Not sure what the problem is with that...

A true jungle dog at home amidst the mangroves

It was really great to be out and about somewhere different though. Adventure seeking explorer type dogs such as myself need a bit of variety in their outdoor exploits. And more smelly things. Always lots of smelly things.

Speaking of smelly things, my walk has inspired me to develop my signature scent. It shall be a full bodied, fruit number with not so subtle overtones of deceased mollusc and rancid fish giblets. I shall call it Eau de Mangrove I think. Obviously it will be available exclusively from VetShopAustralia. It is bound to be their top seller from the moment it launches! Watch this space.

Anyway, I'm back home now. There are tomato plants that need uprooting, water dragons to escort off my property and home schoolers to distract. And if I didn't already have enough work to do, now a brush turkey has the absolute hide to start sniffing out my backyard as a potential nesting site. Not on my watch foul creature of the under scrub!

Officer Abby - keeper of peace and intruder remover

Until next time friends,

Abby

Isolation - Day 489 (or thereabouts)

Dear Diary,
Last night I binge watched Project Blue Book with some of my family. I loved it! Apparently aliens abducted some out of work actor from Game of Thrones and beamed him into the series. The aliens particularly like abducting out of work actors from other shows, they pop up all over the place. Don't know why, guess it's an alien thing.

Binge watching Project Blue Book

Speaking of aliens... I see UFO's all the time in my garden. Well some of them aren't exactly unidentified because my Dad calls them by name. There are the Magpies, the Willy Wagtails and the Peewees. There are definitely some that are unidentified though. They have mean, beady, dog-food-stealing eyes. I spend a large part of my day defending my chow bowl from these feathery fiends.
And butterflies - they are everywhere at the moment! But I am yet to catch a single one :( I have resorted to chasing them as my lads (the home from school ones) still seem to prefer to have their snouts stuck in that annoying device they brought home from school instead of showering me with pats and attention all day. Sigh.

Who likes tomatoes anyway...

There is always the veggie patch to entertain me. That certainly gets mum's attention when I start gardening for her. She doesn't seem as appreciative of my efforts as she should be, however. A Lab can't win.
Anyhow, it is almost time for my excursion into the great suburban jungle again. I wonder which of the humans will have won the dog walking lottery today?! I can't wait! Toy poodles beware - I'm onto you!
Until next time friends,
Abby

Out for my full moon walk

Isolation - Day 1

Walter the Water Dragon, my sworn enemy