Meet Pets Australia’s Ambassador!

Gina Jeffreys

Australia’s “Queen of Country”, Gina Jeffreys has lent her talent and her enthusiasm to Pets Australia as our Ambassador. Famous nationally and internationally as a singer/songwriter, Gina is also passionate about improving Pet Businesses and improving Pet Ownership.

Gina is a great example of a dog owner who is really keen to “do the right thing”  – and now she is keen to help others become responsible pet owners as well, and help pet businesses focus on good education.

 

Here is what she said when we interviewed her…..

What pets do you have?

We have a beautiful dog called “Fender” (after the guitars). He is 10 months old and very cute!

Our little boy has one goldfish in his bedroom with a very strong will to live! He is the only one left after we “swapped” his dummies at the pet shop for goldfish years ago!

We have recently aquired a couple of magpies who come into our outdoor room and eat Fender’s dog food.

We live on acreage and our neighbours have cows, horses and chickens, so it’s like living in the country!!

 

Why do you own a pet?

We bought Fender last year as a companion for our little boy. It is so wonderful. Some of his friends have dogs too, and we all go to the beach together with the dogs. It’s so cute to see the boys running along the beach with their own dog! I think every little boy needs a dog!

Why did you pick your pet?

We chose this dog because we were told he has a lovely temperament, is smart and doesn’t lose too much hair! All of this has proven to be true. We made a great choice.

Is your pet “part of the family”? Does he get presents at Christmas or other treats?

Fender is part of the family. He comes to the beach, comes to soccer, has play dates with friends who have dogs. He hasn’t had a birthday yet! We will give him a treat, but we aren’t over the top. There won’t be a party!!!

Is your pet desexed? Is he microchipped and registered? Is he trained?

Fender is microchipped, registered, desexed, has a dog tag with our contact details, and trained. He was quite a handful before the training! Now he is delightful! (Except when he digs holes!!)

How do you exercise your pet?

We have a big fenced yard. He takes himself for runs and digs in his sandpit a lot. I take him for a run or walk around our valley or on the beach every other day.

Why are you supporting Pets Australia?

Because we love our dog so much and he is bringing so much joy to our liittle family. I am trying to educate myself on how to be a responsible pet owner and I hope I can inspire other people to do the same.

 I love the idea of their being a place where we can trust the information. Things like what sort of breed will suit your family, proper care, like vaccinations, feeding, exercise, desexing, training, sensible pet ownership. People like me who have a young family and haven’t had a pet in a long time need somewhere to go to find the answers to so many questions.

What changes would you like to see in pet ownership in Australia? 

I think it’s really good for your lifestyle to own a pet. I think many of us need to be re educated so we are current and up to date with being responsible pet owners. I think if more people trained their dogs, they would get so much more joy from them

In a perfect world, it would be great to stop the mistreatment of animals. We need to keep working on that.

See Gina’s website at http://www.ginajeffreys.com.au/ 

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