Luna, Jess + Ollie

I was so saddened to miss out on the Top Dog Film Festival late last year. I make a point to attend every time the show reel comes to town if I can help it, it’s my absolute favourite celebration of dogs. To those who’ve never been - let’s make a date in 2021. Hand on heart, if you care even the smallest iota about dogs, you are absolutely going to love it.
Jess was one of the lucky attendees at the 2020 showing who took out the raffle prize of a photo session with me. Jess told me she never wins anything, but I reckon if she were going to win any prize, this would have to be the perfect fit.

Jess, Ollie and their beautiful Lab Luna met me down near their home in Marino and together we ventured around Kingston Historic House, then wandered down to the beach, all areas of importance to them and their story.

How did Luna come into your world?

I was living in Tasmania and had been wanting to get a dog for some time. When I finally decided to bite the bullet I traveled for three hours to visit Luna who was from a litter of eight puppies. Luna was a chunky little puppy and sounded like a piglet when I picked her up which I thought was endearing and was enough to seal the deal for me! Six months later Ollie came into the picture and we have been a family of three ever since.

How would you describe her personality?

Luna is a very sweet dog, she is goofy and clumsy and has been known to run into the coffee table when she gets too excited. During the day at home she likes her own space and is independent but at four AM every morning she wakes us up and wiggles her way into our bed for her morning cuddles. 

If she could tell us all something about you, what would she say?

I'm pretty certain she would complain that we don't feed her lunch and won't share all our food. 

What does she love to do the most?

Luna's favourite activity is eating. In between breakfast and dinner she loves being outdoors with Ollie and I. She goes for daily walks to the beach, is a trail dog and goes mountain biking with Ollie and when we go surfing she is happy to jump on a board and catch a wave! She is lots of fun most of the time, less fun when she finds stagnant muddy water to swim in or a dead animal to roll in (she loves both of these). 

What's everyday life like with your girl by your side?

It's great! She influences a lot of the places we visit when we're not working as we try to take her with us whenever we can. She keeps us active and she gets us outside even when we're tired or lazy or it's raining. 

How has having your dog changed your life?

Having Luna was a bit of a shock to the system initially. I wasn't well prepared for the level of energy she had or how much of a commitment having a dog would be. It's certainly been hard at times but we've grown together and I wouldn't change anything for the world. She makes us laugh every day and completes our little family. She also keeps us on our toes and creates a lot of stress because apparently everything is edible.