WATCH: Lab extends his talents to newspaper collection
This labbie from Northmead has many tricks up his sleeve.
Amber is a doggie with many tricks, one of which is to collect the weekly edition of the Benoni City Times for his humans to enjoy.
His owners, Dawn and Chris Gray explained that after living in Polokwane for most of their lives, they were faced with the decision of moving to George or returning to Dawn’s childhood hometown of Benoni.
“We wanted to live in a place where we could be part of a community, but also an area close to stabling for our horses,” said Dawn.
“Benoni, and more especially Northmead, was the obvious choice.”
The Grays moved to their current home with their two working-dog-bred labradors, Amber and Boo.
“I grew up with a granny who bred working German shepherds and my mom did agility training with her own dogs,” Dawn said.
“During school holidays, I would be allowed to take the dogs to training classes. The love for having working dogs stayed with me.”
In 2022, Chris and Dawn became proud fur parents to Amber, followed by Boo.
Meticulously following Dawn’s hand signals, Amber is being trained to participate in rally obedience.
In this sport, the dog and their handler complete a course consisting of 10 to 20 stations, depending on their level, where specific commands must be completed.
Participants are judged at each station, and points are awarded accordingly.
“Amber and I have been training daily, and he loves the stimulation,” said Dawn.
“He is a fast learner and thrives on being challenged.
“One Thursday, when I went out to collect the newspaper, he was at my side and promptly took the paper inside, his tail wagging all the way.
“It is just another skill to add to his arsenal of many tricks. Or, perhaps the picture of the search and rescue dog on the front page that week grabbed his attention.”
When Amber is not showing off his skills, he can be found at the family’s koi pond, kissing one of his golden friends.
“We adore the fish, especially the biggest one of the lot,” said Chris.
“He will call me to feed the fish and wait patiently for them to surface to feed, then gently nudges his friend with his nose.”
However, beware because throwing a ball into the swimming pool will result in two wet pups cosying up to nearby humans as they happily cool off.
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