Koala-ty CUDDLE!
Kerry’s pup saved this bub’s life
The dog who saved a koala
Kerry McKinnon, 45, Strathdownie, Vic
Quick darling! Come look at this!’ my hubby Raymond called. Opening my eyes, it was so early. But Raymond was in the doorway of our bedroom, beaming at me with childish delight.
I couldn’t understand why he was so chirpy.
‘You have to come see this, Kerry. It’s unbelievable!’ he said, pulling me out of bed.
I shivered as the frosty country air sent goosebumps down my spine.
Grabbing my warm dressing gown, I reluctantly followed him to our veranda.
As usual, my beautiful golden retrievers, Ali, 10, and Asha, five, were all snuggled up together on their beds with their blankets.
Raymond was staring at me with anticipation.
‘What am I supposed to be looking at?’ I asked him, as I peered out to the decking on our backyard.
‘Go have a closer look at Asha,’ he insisted.
As I edged closer to her, I noticed something furry on her back.
‘What on earth is that?’ I exclaimed.
Asha looked up at me, her eyes filled with guilt. The poor thing looked just as confused as I was. ‘Let me have a look, darling,’ I said, giving her a scratch behind the ears.
All of a sudden, the furry thing moved and stared up at me. It was a baby koala! ‘Oh my God!’ I cried out. That was definitely not what I was expecting!
The tiny little koala must have gotten lost from his mother during the night.
I think he crawled up to our deck and found warmth in Asha’s fur.
At this time of year, temperatures can plummet to near freezing. If the koala hadn’t found Asha, he never would have made it through the night.
‘You saved his life, beautiful girl,’ I cooed. ‘You’re such a good dog.’
I knew I needed to take the baby koala to a nearby vet so that he could be looked after.
Grabbing a blanket, I went to pick him up, but he put up a huge fuss when I tried to separate him from Asha, hissing at me and wriggling everywhere.
He really did not want to leave Asha’s side.
‘You’d be happy to cuddle all day, wouldn’t you?’ I said.
Luckily, he calmed down once we wrapped him in a blanket and held him close.
Then we drove to the local wildlife shelter.
‘All looks good and he’s going to be fine,’ the vet assured us. ‘But without Asha keeping him warm, he most certainly would have died. She’s a real hero.’ I was so proud of Asha. She’s always been a lovely dog with a beautiful nature.
Thankfully, the koala is now being looked after by a special carer until he can be released back into the wild.
He will go on to live a full, healthy life thanks to Asha.