Australia is never boring. Recently, Kerry McKinnon from Strathdownie in Western Victoria received a surprised from her golden retriever Asha that’s probably impossible for any other dog owner in the world to get.
You see, temperatures in the area sometimes plummet to 5C (41F) in the early hours. And not every animal has a fur coat as warm as Asha.
“It was quite early in the morning, and my husband yelled out to me to come have a look at something,” Kerry, 45, told News.com.au. “I didn’t know what he was talking about at first, but then I saw this tiny baby koala snuggled on top of Asha.”
Kerry admitted the moment caught her completely off-guard, and she wasn’t exactly supportive of her cute dog’s heroism. “I just burst out laughing. Poor Asha didn’t know what to think; she just kept looking at me with such a confused look,” McKinnon added. “She looked a bit guilty when I came out to see what was going on. Her expression was hilarious.”
“She kept looking back at the koala bear, but she wasn’t trying to get him off her or anything. She was happy to let him snuggle into her.”
It will always remain a mystery how the cute koala ended up attached to Asha. The most plausible explanation is that the adorable creature was separated from its mother since it was still young enough to be living with her. “I think the koala bear baby fell out of his mum’s pouch and didn’t know what to do. He would have just wandered over to our back porch and seen the dogs in their beds, then decided to snuggle in Asha’s fur because it’s nice and warm.”
“Asha definitely saved the koala’s life by keeping him warm. He would have died out there if left alone all night. The poor thing could have been taken by a fox or something too.” Kerry said it “wasn’t easy” separating the two, as the koala put up a “huge fuss” when she tried to remove it from Asha’s back.
The woman said the little joey is all well, though. After being checked out by a vet, a local koala carer took the baby under their care until it can be released back into the wild. “I think dogs have that protective instinct. The koala didn’t want to leave Asha’s back. When we took the koala off to wrap it in a blanket, it hissed at me and carried on.”
“I think it would have been happy to have just slept there all day. It was really an amazing animal friendship to see and so uniquely Australian.”
Australia is never dull, even for dog owners
Image credits: Kerry McKinnon / Caters News
“It was quite early in the morning, and my husband yelled out to me to come have a look at something”
Image credits: Kerry McKinnon / Caters News
“I didn’t know what he was talking about at first, but then I saw this tiny koala snuggled on top of Asha”
Image credits: Kerry McKinnon / Caters News
“I think the baby koala fell out of his mum’s pouch and didn’t know what to do”
Image credits: Kerry McKinnon / Caters News
“He would have died out there if left alone all night. The poor thing could have been taken by a fox or something, too”
Image credits: Kerry McKinnon / Caters News
After being checked out by a vet, a local koala carer is watching over the baby until it can be released back into the wild
Image credits: Kerry McKinnon / Caters News
People instantly declared Asha a hero
anyone else remember the Looney Tunes cartoon with the bulldog and the kitten?
"Feed the Kitty." One of the greatest Looney Tunes shorts created. One of the few shorts I know of that is hilarious, sweet, and moving in only 7 minutes of storytelling.
Load More Replies...Good enough reason for me! Wonderful creatures dogs!! Koala's are so flipping cute too!
Load More Replies...Amazing outcome and a testament to the nature of this particular pooch. Unfortunately domestic dogs are one of the biggest killers of koalas in Australia. I certainly hope Mum made it- she would have been distraught.
I have to say, you bring something that cute to me, good luck getting it back. That baby koala is the cuttest thing I’ve even seen.
Not that i don't understand @Lola, though it was the correct & responsible decision to make. as properly caring for a joey that young would likely be impossible without a great deal knowledge, training & know how to ensure it's safety & keeping it in captivity would be unfair also. the most heartbreaking part for me was how much the baby joey so wanted & greatly protested being taken away from it's new trusting, caring, nurturing & loving mum Asha.
Load More Replies...Though it was the proper & responsible thing to do, have to admit that it broke my heart a bit that they had to part so quickly. Much love to Asha & of course she was a very nurturing, protective, caring, loving dog - as many dogs & other domesticated animals are. Just lovely, wonderful creatures you share your life with. XOX
I can imagine the golden retriever talking to the baby koala saying "Hey kid! Are you lost?". and then carries the baby to their house. How cute! <3
Not too be a downer, because that is the very best of good boys, but, I hope they gave Asha a medical check, as Koalas have a big problem with Chlamydia, and it would be a shame if the dog got it.
What a pumpkin those two are!! Such a good doggy and such a cuddly koala!
Awwww this is a wonderful feel good story. Both the dog and the koala are absolutely adorable. Thanks for posting!
wow this is really great I say, look how cute both are!! https://Afronobs.com
My sister's name is Asha!! Also this is really amazing. Also like the comment that god backwards is dog.
Am I the only one who noticed that ZiZi Lim commented the same thing twice?
Lovely story, but she lets her dogs sleep outside when it is 5 degrees???
Lets not forget.....Koalas are the dumbest animals on the planet. This dog has made a huge mistake.
I thought "joey" was the term for baby kangaroos, not baby koalas...
If animals can see that a creature is in need of help, why do people so often just walk by on a human who is strugling to live a decent life?
Ah yes the creatures that do nothing but eat brain killing poison, sleep, and scream.
Not all dogs, read up on how humans have taken apart the hunting steps in dogs and specialized them into herding, retrieving, etc. Fascinating topic, dog domestication. Lots of new research.
Load More Replies...anyone else remember the Looney Tunes cartoon with the bulldog and the kitten?
"Feed the Kitty." One of the greatest Looney Tunes shorts created. One of the few shorts I know of that is hilarious, sweet, and moving in only 7 minutes of storytelling.
Load More Replies...Good enough reason for me! Wonderful creatures dogs!! Koala's are so flipping cute too!
Load More Replies...Amazing outcome and a testament to the nature of this particular pooch. Unfortunately domestic dogs are one of the biggest killers of koalas in Australia. I certainly hope Mum made it- she would have been distraught.
I have to say, you bring something that cute to me, good luck getting it back. That baby koala is the cuttest thing I’ve even seen.
Not that i don't understand @Lola, though it was the correct & responsible decision to make. as properly caring for a joey that young would likely be impossible without a great deal knowledge, training & know how to ensure it's safety & keeping it in captivity would be unfair also. the most heartbreaking part for me was how much the baby joey so wanted & greatly protested being taken away from it's new trusting, caring, nurturing & loving mum Asha.
Load More Replies...Though it was the proper & responsible thing to do, have to admit that it broke my heart a bit that they had to part so quickly. Much love to Asha & of course she was a very nurturing, protective, caring, loving dog - as many dogs & other domesticated animals are. Just lovely, wonderful creatures you share your life with. XOX
I can imagine the golden retriever talking to the baby koala saying "Hey kid! Are you lost?". and then carries the baby to their house. How cute! <3
Not too be a downer, because that is the very best of good boys, but, I hope they gave Asha a medical check, as Koalas have a big problem with Chlamydia, and it would be a shame if the dog got it.
What a pumpkin those two are!! Such a good doggy and such a cuddly koala!
Awwww this is a wonderful feel good story. Both the dog and the koala are absolutely adorable. Thanks for posting!
wow this is really great I say, look how cute both are!! https://Afronobs.com
My sister's name is Asha!! Also this is really amazing. Also like the comment that god backwards is dog.
Am I the only one who noticed that ZiZi Lim commented the same thing twice?
Lovely story, but she lets her dogs sleep outside when it is 5 degrees???
Lets not forget.....Koalas are the dumbest animals on the planet. This dog has made a huge mistake.
I thought "joey" was the term for baby kangaroos, not baby koalas...
If animals can see that a creature is in need of help, why do people so often just walk by on a human who is strugling to live a decent life?
Ah yes the creatures that do nothing but eat brain killing poison, sleep, and scream.
Not all dogs, read up on how humans have taken apart the hunting steps in dogs and specialized them into herding, retrieving, etc. Fascinating topic, dog domestication. Lots of new research.
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