Coco embraces the Southbank lifestyle

Coco, the Toy Poodle, may be small in size but she’s a burst of energy.

“She runs around so fast and is constantly on the move. We often call her ‘Psycho Coco,’ she is hilarious,” said her owner, Dianne.

“She steals socks, shoes, and anything else at her reach.  She loves it when we dress her up, however her favourite thing to put on is her harness as she loves to go outdoors.”

Melbourne Square is among her favourite places to visit and gets “so excited” over the sight of grass while socialising with other dogs – a fear she has slowly overcome.

But she did get a little scared of children and didn’t want strangers to pick her up, Dianne said.

Coco, who was named after the designer brand, has been a bundle of joy to Dianne and her husband after they sadly said goodbye to their beautiful Bailey, a 17-year-old Lhasa Apso, in November 2020.

“Having Coco encourages us to get out and about and has given us the opportunity to meet other dog owners,” Dianne said.

“One restaurant we love to eat at not only because of the amazing food is BearBrass in Southgate. The staff are wonderful and welcome Coco every time we go. They bring her fresh water and although Coco can’t have any, they bring out a jar of doggy treats.”

While Coco loves park areas, Dianne said she and other dog owners would like to see the council consider making a fenced grass area for small breeds only. 

“It’s very hard to take small dog breeds to dog parks as the larger breeds seem to intimidate the small breeds,” she said. 

“This is not at fault of the larger breeds, as they just want to play, however the smaller breeds seem to accidentally get knocked over. I love that Coco interacts with dogs of all sizes; however, it would be nice to let her run free without a lead in a safe environment.” •