Are these the highest paid dogs in the world?
Two dogs have been awarded a lucrative $200,000 a year contract by the NSW government in Australia. Their job? To keep seagulls away from diners at the Opera House at the Sydney Harbour.
Hope and Peppa are among the group of dogs trained by Mad Dogs And Englishmen that patrols the Sydney Harbour. After a successful trial, the NSW government awarded them with a $376,380 contract for their services for the next two years. Currently, there are 13 dogs, a mixture of kelpies and border collies, on rotation to patrol the Harbour. With a simple command, the dogs would run, jump, and bark at the seagulls to scare them off.
The canines patrol the area every day, covering the busiest parts of the day: lunch and dinner periods. Each dog is able to work up to 4 hours a day, with their handlers accompanying them at all times.
Mad Dogs And Englishmen are a dog training company in Australia. The NSW state government first approached the company in 2018 to help them address the issue, which has been ongoing ever since the Opera House was constructed.
Seagulls have been terrorizing patrons at the Sydney Opera House ever since it was constructed. Image obtained from dailymail.co.uk.
Who’s paying for them?
However, not everyone is pleased with this solution. Walt Secord, the opposing minister, has argued that taxpayers should not have to foot the ludicrous amount of money spent on the pooches.
In a statement, he said that the idea of the state government spending $376,000 for a dog and its owner to walk around the Opera house for a few hours a day, occasionally shooing away the chip-stealing seagull, for private businesses, is simply ludicrous.
‘Why is the NSW taxpayer subsidising clam-eating, chardonnay-sipping, tuxedo-clad opera-goers?’ Mr Secord said.
The results speaks for itself
However, the results have been successful compared to their previous attempts at shooing away the noisy birds. The government attempted to use mechanical hawks and food covers previously to thwart off the birds to no avail. The initiative has been a resounding success, with the protected species now keeping their distance if the dogs are present on the harbour. This initiative has caused a significant improvement in the experience and safety for diners and tourists, as well as reducing the number of meals compensated by restaurants.
Diners and tourists seem to be enjoying the presence of the seagull patrolling dogs. Image obtained from dailymail.co.uk.
Not only are the dogs good at keeping the seagulls away, diners and tourists also seem to be enjoying their presence on the harbour. All in all, it seems like this initiative has been a resounding success.
What do you think about this initiative? Let us know in the comments below.
