By Charlotte Wilkes, ABC<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nDenni takes her surprise passenger for a spin.
\nPhoto: ABC \/ Steve Lamplough\n<\/p>\n
Steve Lamplough couldn’t believe it when he saw a baby koala clinging to his dog’s back at his home in south-west Victoria.
\n Nine-year-old golden retriever Denni gave the joey a short piggyback ride, before Lamplough carefully removed the koala.
\n The joey and its mother were safely reunited in a tree on Lamplough’s property. <\/p>\n
When Steve Lamplough heard a commotion outside his south-west Victorian home, the last thing he expected to see was a koala riding his dog like a racehorse.<\/p>\n
Lamplough said he was in disbelief when his nine-year-old golden retriever Denni came bounding toward him with a baby koala clinging to her back.<\/p>\n
“It was quite amazing to see,” he said<\/p>\n
“Especially when [Denni] was running and [the koala] was bobbing up and down like a jockey.”<\/p>\n
Lamplough lives in Bolwarra, near Portland, about 350 kilometres south-west of Melbourne.<\/p>\n
He says he commonly sees koalas around the property.<\/p>\n
What is less common is for one to be on his dog’s back.<\/p>\n
“[The koala] was pretty content to stay there,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It was on [Denni] for a few minutes, that I saw anyway, until I could get it off.<\/p>\n
“They were both as happy as Larry.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nLamplough said the koala was very comfortable on his dog’s back.
\nPhoto: ABC \/ Steve Lamplough\n<\/p>\n
Beginnings of a friendship<\/p>\n
Lamplough said it was his first time handling a koala.<\/p>\n
“We’ve got a massive manna gum tree and koalas love it,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We quite regularly get them wandering around and climbing up the tree.<\/p>\n
“At first I thought, how the heck am I going to get it off … but I took the baby off Denni’s back and made sure it didn’t claw her.<\/p>\n
koala with its joey in a tree.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nLamplough says mum and bub koala are still happily living in his garden.
\nPhoto: ABC \/ Steve Lamplough\n<\/p>\n
“I checked [the koala] out and it was all OK and put it up a tree and then I checked Denni out, made sure she didn’t have any scratches on her and she was fine as well.”<\/p>\n
Lamplough said he was pleased to see the joey reunited with its mother about 15 minutes after taking the canine for a canter.<\/p>\n
“The dogs are always intrigued with [the koalas], but this is the first time I’ve ever seen them get that friendly,” he said.<\/p>\n
Lamplough said Denni was an extremely friendly, placid and loving dog.<\/p>\n
“When she had pups she was a fantastic mother,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Maybe that is why she accepted the baby koala.”<\/p>\n
When Denni is not out giving joeys a ride, she loves eating chicken wings and playing with a ball.<\/p>\n