A dog’s life for two tiny pups

Not many rulers of kingdoms are less than a year old.

It seems Alfie and Coco – two tiny chihuahua pups – hit the royal jackpot when their owner, Clinical Nurse Roslyn Blake, started bringing them into her workplace at Tabeel Aged Care.

The dogs love to visit their subjects, Ros said.

“Everyone loves to give them a pat and say hello,” she said.

“They come in every day and on Tuesday and Wednesday they go around with the massage nurse.

“Residents love to watch the dogs play or they sit on their laps while they get a massage.”

Alfie, 7 months, and Coco, 6 months, have become firm favourites over the past few months, especially when no visitors were allowed due to restrictions set by the State Government Chief Health Officer.

Alfie and Coco go home each night with Ros, but other animals continue to live at Tabeel.

Besides from two cats, a slightly sweary galah and a tortoise, there is a bearded dragon lizard that lives in the courtyard.

“The galah chats away, I think there’s some naughty words in there too,” Ros said.

Alfie and the lizard have recently become friends.

“(One of the residents) said to me the other day ‘you wouldn’t believe it but Alfie is licking the lizard’ – I’ve no idea what was going on there!” Ros said.

Ros said people often felt calmer after interaction with the dogs.

“Being so small, they are great on people’s laps,” she said.

“When you get older you tend to get less touch and so the dogs are a wonderful source of affection and the residents get something back too in the form of licks and wriggles.”