Surrounded – by pets
MARK Woodley couldn’t be more proud of his son, and believes the animal kingdom agrees with his appraisal of the 14-year-old Noah.
“Another year rolls around – 14 awesome years I’ve had this young man beside me,” Mark said.
“They say you can judge a man by the way he treats animals – I’m pretty sure this tells Noah’s story,” he told Dubbo Photo News as he rolled though the many photos of Noah with his huge collection of furred and feathered friends.
“I’m so proud of this boy.” Noah was keen to talk about his affinity with his menagerie, and how lucky he is to have the space at his dad’s Billy’o Bush Retreat tourist attraction near Wongarbon.
“I’ve always loved animals,” Noah said.
“I’ve had our border collie Tricky since I was six, she’s very smart and obedient, chases birds all day because we don’t have sheep.
“We have two cats as well – our three-legged cat Hero and her son Buzz. Dad makes up all sorts of stories about how she lost her leg for the tourists, but it was just dislocated and they couldn’t fix it,” Noah said, spilling the beans on his dad’s tall tales.
According to the 14-year-old, the best thing about pets is their unconditional love for their humans, and the benefits that brings.
“They always bring a smile to your face no matter what and are very loyal.
“When kids visit Billy-o they love to pat Tricky, but she would prefer to chase birds and ride in the golf cart.
“They try to pat Hero too, but she gets a bit feisty and they soon leave her alone. Buzz is a scaredy-cat so no one except us sees him – and that’s when he wants food.”
Also in the mix is Tommy the magpie who can’t stay away from the good life at Billy’o.
“We feed the cats and him all together,” Noah said.