Docklands’ own four-legged Hero

In the heart of Docklands, two-year-old Maltese-Shih Tzu-Pomeranian, Hero, has embraced Docklands’ waterfront lifestyle with his aunt, Kat.

While Hero officially belongs to Kat’s flatmate and her partner, their bond has blossomed into a heartwarming friendship since moving into her Docklands’ home in May last year, with Kat affectionally dubbing him her “nephew”.

“My flatmate moved to Melbourne during lockdown with her partner and they were bored and lonely, so they found Hero through a Facebook listing and drove out to pick him up,” Kat told Docklands News.

“They named him Hero because he saved them from boredom.”

“He is extremely energetic – he thinks everybody is his best friend and has no boundaries in that sense.”

Embarking on their weekly grocery shopping adventure, Kat and Hero enjoy exploring the Pier, where Hero’s curiosity shines as he inspects “every single lamp post along the way.”

Hero, an adventurous eater, is known for his peculiar fascination with roast duck, especially the Chinese variety.

“He goes feral over roast duck, specifically Chinese roast duck – he absolutely loves it,” Kat said.

Despite Hero’s exuberant personality, there’s also tender side to him, Kat revealed.

“When people come over and visit us he gets super-excited, but when it’s time for them to leave he’ll sit at the door for hours wondering why they haven’t come back,” she said.

“To sum up Hero in a nutshell – he’s an absolute menace, but really cute and loving so we forgive him.” •