These Dogs Are for the Birds

Diners along the promenade in front of the Sydney Opera House used to be harassed by brazen, dive-bombing sea gulls. But the situation is now under control, thanks to a team of trained dogs – kelpies and border collies – that police the area.

The thirteen patrolling pooches are graduates of dog training company Mad Dogs & Englishmen. After a trial run in 2018, the dogs have been so successful at shooing gulls they’ve secured full time employment on the waterfront, working double shifts on weekends.

“It's been a game changer, you could say, in hospitality,” Opera Kitchen general manager Sammy McPherson told Reuters. “We're not having to chase after birds and the amount of food replacement, broken glasses, broken plates. It's been absolutely amazing.”

The dogs don’t come cheap. The 2-year contract extension just secured by the team costs $271,612.75 USD, which is divvied up among the Opera House, Opera Bar, and Opera Kitchen. Watch Mad Dog Muffin in action here: www.youtube.com/shorts/oyMwjE8a-WU.

Photo credit: Jacquie Manning