ian mcdougall
  • Ian McDougall
    • Background
    • Humbled by Honour
  • Projects
    • Bloke's Lounge
    • Mentoring >
      • He said, she said
      • Helping the Homeless in more ways than one
    • Save the Post Box
    • Racism
  • Articles
    • MUSICAL MADNESS
    • MY EARLY CARS
    • This (mechanical) life
    • The Thorpe Ascension
    • Goolie grippers
    • Bewdy Bonza guide to Australia
    • Wine descriptors
    • Notes for shop assistants
  • McDoggerel
    • Political >
      • WAR IS A WHORE
      • Joe Hockey
      • Blue Ties
      • Kevin, The Musical
      • LNPeeing in their own next
      • Flegg flogged
      • Your Job
      • We're Shot to Shit
      • Can Do (A Political Pantomime)
      • Bwuce Almighty
      • Election in the Air
      • What The Hell
      • How 'ard?
      • Parly rap
      • About face, about facing the truth
    • Social issues >
      • On The Streets
      • Ready & Able
      • Where I Live
      • Telephone font
    • Here Be Demons >
      • The Truth Comes Out
      • Yeah mate, I know
      • Dread Head
      • Sometimes
      • Black Dog Barking
      • Bark you black dog
    • Other >
      • My car
      • Bloody lawn
      • Night noise
      • The Dunny
      • My Kind of Blue
      • THE CHRISTMAS FRIDGE
      • Kiss Me
      • The Stick
      • Magpie mornings
      • Delhi belly
      • Hinkum booby
      • GRIEF IS THE PRICE OF LOVE
      • Darts for Old Farts
      • Surfers ain't paradise
      • The March
      • CALLIPYGOUS
      • Bangalow Markets
      • Meanderthals
      • Four small words
      • Bessie
      • The Devil Drives a Prado
      • Desert Dawn 1991
      • Your Mobile Phone
      • Your Honour
      • The Tellie
      • I Hate The Train
    • Haiku >
      • Blokey haiku
      • Hospital haiku
      • Other haiku
  • People
    • Surf legend
    • On ya bike, Mal!
    • VALE >
      • Vale: Roger Crook
      • Vale: Nev Brough
      • Vale: Ron Dix
      • Vale: Joan Small
      • Vale: Dal Withers
    • Lieut Clarry McDougall MC >
      • Race meeting at the front
      • March to the Rhine
      • Daybreak surprise
      • Cooyar Cenotaph unveiled
    • J.F. McDougall - Queenslander >
      • J.F. McDougall - family stuff
    • Partners in Recovery >
      • Getting it out there
      • Funky postcards hit the streets
      • Phil's pouches popular
      • New life for Naomi
      • There's magic in music
      • Lessons from the edge of darkness
      • Crafting a future
      • From misery to happiness
      • Dominique - Shades of day
    • Book People >
      • Matthew on road to recovery
      • #1 Kevin Jones
      • #2 Melissa and Ann
      • #3 David Oldfield
      • #4 Multicultural moments
      • #5 Peter Burt
      • #6 Brendan Lauritz
      • #7 Matthew's mutt
      • #8 Dal loves his Wilburs
      • #9 Books found
      • #10 New shoes, new vigour, new hope
      • #11 Up there for thinking
      • #12 Jo's lessons
      • #13 Cowboy takes teens on reality ride
  • Out & about
  • Grumpy Old Fart
Picture
Man’s best friends

- Dec 10, 2011

Alvin likes attention and doesn’t mind carrying on with a bit of ‘look at me, look at me’ so you notice him.

Basically he’s a noisy bugger.

But that gets him just what he wants. A tummy rub, an ear twirl or – joy of joys – a tidbit. And some of what he doesn’t: "Shaddup ya mongrel”. “Put a sock in it”.

Alvin’s a tan and dappled white bitser, a bit ridgeback looking and still growing into his feet. He’s tied to a fence post with some rope while owner Matthew Butler catches up with mates in the Rosies food queue.

“A mate was going to take him to the pound,” said Matthew, who enjoys a bit of a yap himself. “I said ‘Bugger that, mate you can’t do that; give him to me’.”

Alvin has Matthew well trained.
 
“He likes his tucker. I know this bloke who runs a shop down end of Scarborough Street. He saw me with Alvin and gave me some fillet steak – yeah, fair dinkum - and a piece of chicken. But Alvin won’t eat raw meat. I had to go down to one of the barbeques at the Parklands and cook it for him, eh!”

Matthew said it’s good to have some company.

“He’s usually not so noisy; it’s them little dogs over there that have got him stirred up (points to Melissa Pedersen’s dogs; one hers one being minded). He just wants a game – or maybe a feed,” he chuckles.

He gives Alvin some of the cooked chook, then wanders over to the Street Library table and checks out a fair of fins we have to give away.

They’re kid’s size, I say.

“Yeah, but I got small feet,” he says with a grin. “Wouldn’t mind a pair to go with these (his fishes into his bag and come up with a pair of goggles). Found ’em half buried the sand when I went swimming the other day.”

Hold the fins against his feet. “Nah”

Matthew spots a book on strategic thinking. “Hey, I could do with this,” he says, tucking it under his arm, “Need a bit of strategy.” Winks.

Well, you’ve responded to our strategy Matthew – making a wide range of books and topics freely available to those who may not be able to access them elsewhere.

Man’s best friends: pets, mates and books.

In February, we hope to expand the Street Library to the southern end of the coast. Coolangatta for a start. But we need some volunteers who can guarantee a weekly commitment to ensure we can keep the service operating.

For more information,
contact info@goldcoaststreetlibrary.org

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.