Friday 27 March 2015

A Little Picture Story by Berenice Walters

Berenice had a delightful sense of fun and imagination. Here is a little picture story she put together for Merigal Magazine featuring her special Dingo Sheila and a young Clinton Down.

***** 
 
WORLD LEADERS
SHEILA DINGO AND CLINTON DOWN
HOW CAN WE SOLVE THIS PROBLEM?
HAVEN'T YOU GOT ANY IDEAS?
WOW! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?
THANK YOU. THANK YOU MY FRIEND.
LET'S SHAKE ON IT. (ONE FOR THE PRESS)
WE REALLY ARE A GOOD TEAM, AREN'T WE?

Monday 16 March 2015

BIG BERENICE AND THE LITTLE RED DINGOES



I mentioned in an earlier blog post that Berenice’s Dingoes excelled at obedience training. I hope you enjoy this cartoon and article from the Sun Herald, mid 1976 about Napoleon and Snowgoose’s success. 

The Story of
BIG BERENICE AND THE LITTLE RED DINGOES
Once upon a time all Dingoes were regarded as big bad dogs, evil, savage and untrainable, a threat to man and beast.
Then along came NAPOLEON AND SNOWGOOSE

The Sun Herald printed the following story with the cartoon about mid 1976.

 DINGO TOPS THE CLASS AT TRAINING SCHOOL

"Not only is the dingo top of the class, he's eaten half of it!"
A FULL-BLOODED Australian Dingo has topped his class at a Sydney dog obedience school, putting fashionable and expensive breed to shame.

The dingo’s performance – 98 points out of 100 – will bring new demands that the native dog, labelled as vermin by Australian law, be treated with respect.

The dingo’s owner, who declined to be named – it is illegal to keep dingoes – said: “They are marvellous animals, beautiful and intelligent. I want their rightful image restored. A Sydney man who takes his two dingoes to work every day said: Dingoes have higher intelligence than most dogs, and they love children. They have to be kept in check in some areas but they should be protected where they are becoming scarce.

Senator Tony Mulvihill, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and the Environment, said yesterday he was determined to use upcoming sessions of the woodchip inquiry to examine the dingo question.

Runners up were two dobermanns with 92 and 91 respectively - an indication of the dingoes' intelligence and suitability for this type of work, their owner said.

The woman has kept Napoleon, now 12 months old, around the house without any problems she wouldn't have encountered with other dogs, she said.

Neither Napoleon nor Snow Goose had seen a lamb before the picture on this page was taken. Their first reaction was curiosity but they were easily restrained, and within minutes bad 1 to be further restrained to keep them near the lamb so more photographs could be taken.

But Snowgoose did set off after a duck, another first sighting, and might have killed it if she had not been pulled off. Most other breeds of dogs would have done the same thing, the woman said. "People don't realise that any domestic breed of dog is still a wild animal. It's heartbreaking when the most savage and aggressive overseas breeds can be imported and their pups sold to the general public while the dingo, which is far less aggressive, is discriminated against in its own country.

"In Switzerland dingoes are shown as a miscellaneous breed pending official recognition. In America they're shown as a rare breed, again pending official recognition. Here they are vermin."

She said dingoes were frequently blamed for attacks on livestock by domestic dogs because few people would accept that all dogs are wild.

For this reason she is also ·campaigning for a review of the whole question of dog ownership….. owners must be held responsible for their dogs, and that no dog should be allowed in public without a leash.         


***
Of course the Dingo and owner who refused to be named was Berenice Walters, with Napoleon, and the Sydney man whose dingoes accompanied him to work was Fred Wirrer with Cornelius and son.
Dingoes Snowgoose (left) and Napoleon showed only curiosity when six year old David Finey fed his pet lamb.






Tuesday 3 March 2015

Please Support Our Fund Raising Campaign



To raise funds for costs associated with the cataloguing and preservation of the records, of Berenice Walters, known as the Dingo Lady, we have opened a fund raising campaign through GofundMe http://www.gofundme.com/nqtwl0

The project includes publishing some of the records and manuscripts and ultimately publishing her biography.

This project is being undertaken purely on a  voluntary basis.

Berenice’s records are of importance not only in Australia but worldwide. They have sat for many years needing cataloguing and digitising and include:

  • Manuscripts (both her own and others)
  • Research papers
  • Photos and Slides
  • Videos and 8mm film
  • Audio Cassettes


We hope that anyone who cares, not only for the preservation of the Dingo but also wolves and other primitive canids, will support our efforts.

Berenice, devoted over 30 years of her life as the Dingo’s advocate. Through commitment to observing, studying, breeding and being at one with the Dingo’s spirit she became a recognised authority on Australia’s Native Dog.

As the Dingo’s champion she took every opportunity to promote understanding of the Dingo, fight for its recognition and acceptance as the Native Dog of Australia and educate the public on the truth about it's the characteristics and behaviour.

Her work contributed significantly to:

  • a greater understanding of the Dingo
  • relaxation of the laws concerning the Dingo
  • realisation of the role the Dingo played in keeping the balance of nature and controlling feral animals that depleted native wildlife in particular small marsupials
  • lessening of eradication programs as they applied to the Dingo





She also studied the relationship between the Dingo and the Aborigines and other wild canids (wild dogs, wolves etc)