Hello, friends! It’s so good to see you again. I’m excited to be able to share some stories about how Paul and I came to know each other and how we’ve become best friends.
Paul and I first met each other when he saw me, my brothers and sisters advertised on a community noticeboard outside the IGA in Narooma. My Mum is a beautiful border collie and my Dad is a shaggy cattle dog mix. (As you can see it makes a perfect combination for a Digger.)
One day Paul came by for a visit and as soon as I saw his face, I ran towards him and starting pulling at his shoelaces. He laughed and must have been impressed by my shoelace-biting because he took me home. Ever since that day we’ve been best friends.
Now, I don’t mean to brag but my hearing is pretty great, and sometimes I overhear Paul’s friends talk about ‘alpha dogs’ and other silly stuff like that. Those words don’t mean much around here. Right from the beginning, neither of us needed to show each other who was boss… because there is no boss!
We have always had equal footing (even though Paul only has two feet and walks on his hind legs) and we never fight over things like beds or food. Mainly because we share everything. I have seen some dogs yelled at or pushed around by their human friends and it makes me so sad because I have the best friend in the world.
We help each other out, like best friends should. He helps feed us because I can’t quite figure out how to chop up food, and I keep him company and protect the farm because he can’t quite figure out how to bark at birds. I spent a lot of time trying to show him how to do it but, well, we can’t both be good at everything…
Our favourite time of day is dinner time. We’ve always eaten the same meals - I just don’t sit at the table because apparently my manners aren’t up to scratch. Paul’s cooking keeps us healthy, full of energy, and gives us both a nice shiny coat.
I reckon our family works so well because there’s no alpha, no beta: just best mates. Although if I think about it, he does clean up when I go to the toilet, and he does drive me around because I love car trips, so maybe I am the boss… just don’t tell him that. He’s such a good boy.
Check in with us next week for the next Digger's Diary - but you can see the scallywag every weeknight on River Cottage Australia 6pm on SBS, then on SBS On Demand.
Digger thanks Deirdre Fidge for helping to get his thoughts online. It’s hard to type with paws.
