Meet Harry
Harry is an adorable and lovable 12 year old Dachshund Cairn Terrier cross. This super cutie was adopted by well-known digital publisher and media identity Mia Freedman and her family from Sydney Dogs and Cats Home (SDCH) when he was just 18 months old.
We recently had the pleasure of hanging out with Harry for the day in a bid to find out more about what in the world this media hound does with his minutes. You will be thrilled to learn that darling DOGUE regular Harry Freedman is nothing short of an absolute delight!
Harry gave us a fabulous insight into his wonderful world – but when we needed more than a bark and a tickle, we turned to his doting mother, Mia Freedman, to dig deeper into the happy world of Harry.
INTERVIEW WITH MIA FREEDMAN
D: When you were looking for a dog, what made you choose SDCH?
M: We are so glad we went to Sydney Dogs and Cats Home. We loved that it was a no-kill pound and we found the whole process to be such a wonderful and personalised experience. I’d recommend SDCH to anyone. We had a lot of advice and guidance from the team and we didn't feel rushed or stressed about the animals we had to leave behind.
D: Why did you choose Harry?
M: We originally thought we wanted a big dog because I'd grown up with big dogs. But the staff helped us work out that we would be better suited to a medium sized dog. By the end of our visit we were looking at Chihuahuas! We told them how important it was that the dog was child-friendly and they told us about Harry who was currently being fostered. We were so happy to meet him based on the recommendations of the SDCH staff.
D: How would you describe Harry in just a few words?
M: Eccentric, spoilt, adorable, easy. (and after such a memorable day, we couldn’t agree more!)
D: What’s Harry’s favourite pastime?
M: He loves finding really really soft things to sleep on - piles of clothes, pillows that have fallen on the floor, he just loves layers and layers of softness. And chasing a ball. He didn't understand how ball fetching went when we first got him, I think he'd had a tough life. But once he got the hang of it, he became obsessed!
D: Is there anything Harry does that drives you doggone crazy?
M: He has this weird thing where he takes mouthfuls of his dry food and deposits them in various places around the house. Then he lies or sits down and just looks at them for a while. Sometimes he then eats it and other times he just leaves it there. Maybe for later. It's like he's trying to spell out a message with his food. We actually love it because it's so bonkers.
D: What does Harry do at Mamamia?
M: He likes to sleep in my office, attend meetings and occasionally walk around to make sure nobody has dropped food under their desks. He lives in hope! He used to work full time but these days he's only a part-timer. Some days he just stands at the top of the stairs when I'm leaving for work and looks at me as if to say, "nup, not today".
D: What does Harry mean to you and your family?
M: He's everything to us. We spend the most extraordinary amount of time just talking about him - what he does, what he might be thinking, talking to each other in his voice. It's funny because we got him when we just had one seven year old, and in the baby making years that followed he went from being like a child to being a dog. But in the past few years, with the younger kids older, he's come back into the centre of the family as a shared obsession. He's climbed back up the pecking order.
A huge thank you to Mia and Harry for sharing their special story with us. Please take the time to read more about Sydney Dogs and Cats Home (SDCH), to learn about their leadership in the re-homing of dogs and cats and the significant challenges they are currently facing.
SYDNEY DOGS AND CATS HOME
Who they are:
Sydney Dogs and Cats Home (SCDH) is a council pound and not-for-profit community facility.
It is the mission of SCDH to prevent the unnecessary euthanasia of healthy, loving, domestic pets (young, old or with special needs) by rehoming them and giving them a second chance at life.
What they do:
SCDH continues to lead the way in best practice animal welfare, creating opportunities to involve the community in all facets of their work. They believe that every animal that arrives on their doorstep deserves kindness and compassion, working to continually provide the best possible care for all animals.
SCDH assists not only with animal welfare, but also with aged care initiatives, disability care programs, programs that benefit youth living with mental illness, education initiatives, and community service programs.
They also offer a two week trial adoption for families looking to bring a furry friend into their home.
How YOU can help:
Currently SCDH is in the process of relocating to a completely new site. As one of the very few non-profit pounds in Sydney, SDCH is highly motivated now more than ever to find a suitable home for all their animals.
In order to continue their important work in rehoming Sydney’s lost and abandoned pets, SDCH relies heavily on the support of a generous community. If you are interested in getting involved in the work of this wonderful organisation, there are many ways that you can help! Click here to learn more.