September 14th, 2024Pets @ work

Pixel the Belle Property office pooch   

Personality-packed Pixel is the second Hungarian Vizsla to become resident office pooch at Belle Property – Daylesford and Trentham.   

Before Pixel there was Ziggy who was the first Hungarian Vizsla that Belle Property director and real estate agent Will Walton had ever owned.   

Will was so taken with the gentle and statuesque breed that young Pixel followed,  acquired as a puppy, to keep Ziggy company until the older dog died.   

“Ziggy even survived a house fire that happened here in Daylesford about 11 years ago. He was rescued by our CFA,” Will said.

“We got Pixel as a friend for Ziggy   and they had about 18 months together.”   

Will says Pixel has quite a few endearing and specific personality traits. These   include a personal sensitivity to walking on the floorboards in the Belle Property   Daylesford office.   

“He slipped on the boards as a pup and he has remained very sensitive about   walking on them ever since,” Will says.   

When Pixel is feeling a little bit wary about something, he communicates it by   walking backwards in a pooch-perfect impression of Michael Jackson’s Moonwalk.   

Pixel is also fairly notorious for his food focus. Staff member at Belle, real estate   agent Natalie Fagan says the svelte russet-gold dog has a less than subtle means of   dropping hints to anyone who is lunching in the office.   

“You’ll be eating lunch and he’ll sit beside you and you’ll suddenly feel a paw just   gently brushing you,” she says.   

Will says the workplace has always been pet-friendly, with other staff members welcome to bring their fur babies in if they wish.   

When Natalie brings along her year-old whippet, Benny The Jet, the two dogs   have been known to transform the office environment into an occasional canine   raceway.   “When I bring Benny in they do total zoomies,” Natalie says.

“And when (real   estate agent) Ange brought her German shorthaired pointer, Baxter, in for the day it  was like doggy day care. Really good fun.”   

Will says the presence of pets in the workplace is a known mood booster.   

“The RSPCA released a report on the well-being benefits of having animals in the  workplace and it’s something that we’ve always encouraged,” he says.   

“The breed, Hungarian Vizslas are also just called Vs, and they’re known for their loyalty and intelligence, and to be wonderful pets for families.”   

The breed is also generally well known for its enjoyment of water and was bred as a hunting dog.   But in keeping with Pixel’s quirky character, this individual has his own ideas  about that.   

“Yes they’re supposed to like water and they’ve even got slightly webbed feet, but   Pixel doesn’t like water. In fact he’s afraid of ducks,” Will says.   

“He is very food focused and very, very good at retrieving balls and the way that   he catches them in the air is extraordinary,” Will says.

“If we didn’t have to work on weekends we’d be taking him to agility trials.   

“The breed is extremely sensitive and highly intelligent. They get called velcro dogs because they literally stick to their owner.   

“We’ve always had a dog in the work environment and Pixel splits his time  between our Daylesford office and our Trentham office. There are people who come   to our office seeking him out just to say hello.”   

Pixel’s workload as resident pooch personality is likely to lighten a little into the  future, with some exciting news on the near horizon.

“He’s about to get a brother,” Will says.   

Words: Eve Lamb