Heroic dog 'Oddball' dies after a long life, protecting tiny penguins

发布时间：2025-04-26 21:12:05

Last week, a dog died. Not just any dog. It was Oddball, the famous maremma.

Oddball was a lot of things: A penguin protector (seriously), loyal companion and the inspiration for a hit film, based on her life.

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Oddball was part of a pioneering project developed by Allan 'Swampy' Marsh in order to protect the fairy penguin population of Middle Island in Australia's south-west Victoria from local foxes and other assorted predators.

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She was the very first dog sent to the island as part of the Middle Island Maremma Project, and definitively proved that maremmas were capable of protecting the at-risk penguin population.

A pensive Oddball. Credit: Vimeo/screenshot.

She was still a true original. A forward-thinker in a world of copycats (and dogs).

"She was 105 in dog years, so she had a pretty good innings," Marsh told the ABC. "She's had a great legacy, and she'll always be remembered as one of the most polite dogs around."