Becoming a dog person

Words by John Tadigiri

Before getting Kobe the poodle in August last year, Caterina had always been a cat person.

“He’s my first dog ever, I’ve always had cats,” Caterina told Inner City News in May.

But after the first few weeks of having the rambunctious little pup, Caterina could see what all of her friends had been talking about.

“When you take him for a walk, people just smile at you and smile at the dog; it has a lovely social impact,” Caterina said.

“Even though my cats were special, I couldn’t do these walks with them.”

When Kobe arrived at eight weeks old, he was small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

Now almost a year old, Caterina described him as being “curious, full of life and very intelligent”.

“He is actually very intuitive; if there is a drama show or people are shooting, he gets upset and barks,” she said.

As a long-time Carlton resident, Caterina said that she had a large community of friends in the suburb.

But since she got Kobe, she’s become even more popular.

“I have lots of friends in Carlton, but none of them have dogs, so they love mine,” she said.

“I always take him with me to the local cafes.” •