I had been working at the RSPCA Kingaroy shelter for about a year and a half when Chief came into our care. However, the first time I actually laid eyes on him was during my Certificate II in Animal Studies at the Wacol Animal Care Campus. Chief broke all the stigmas about big dogs – he was a gentle giant and massive couch potato! He was one of our long term guests patiently waiting for the right home.
He was certainly a favourite and adored by all. Chief was a perfect walker on the lead, except if there was a storm where he would put on the breaks and not budge an inch! This was quite a task on its own trying to get him back to his kennel.
Chief was such a cuddly dog and I often spent lots of time sitting with him in his kennel just spending time together. He was also a very social pooch and loved taking part in the Wednesday morning playgroups at the playgroup yard. He was lovely towards other dogs, but wasn’t too bothered with playing, rather he would stay by the animal handlers sniffing around instead. But when he did run around and play it was hilarious because his mouth would flop around – a perfect shot to see in slow motion!
Kara from the Brisbane RSPCA remembers when Chief was the star of the RSPCA’s Cupcake Day photo shoot with the help of Zoo Studio.
“He was doing so well posing for the camera and sitting on a table looking interested in making cupcakes, then he decided it would be a good idea to have a pee, on my leg! He was a gentle giant full of personality.”
Chief was a big part of the RSPCA family and even typing this makes me sad. We were all so happy when Chief found his furever home, and thinking back to the phone call telling us he had cancer with only a month to live, was and is still, heart wrenching.
All of our team were there when Chief’s owner brought him back into the shelter so he could be put to rest. You could tell he remembered our Kingaroy team and he was very happy to see us. There were many tears and hugs that day when we said our goodbyes to Chief. We have a special card with a lovely message and a tuft of Chief’s hair. He sits on the shelf at the Kingaroy shelter with our beloved office cat who passed away just over a year ago.
Chief will always have a special place in mine and the RSPCA’s heart.
