By Ingrid Hipkiss
Meet Fred 'The Eco Warrior'. While other dogs and their owners are content with sitting and staying, six-year-old Fred has become a dedicated canine cleaner-upper.
Fred has learned to faithfully dispose of the litter people leave behind.
“People see a dog picking something up that they might have just thrown out of the car window and going and dropping it in the box, it might make them reconsider,” says owner Sasha Brownlie.
“You see kids light up, other people might think as well.”
It's hard to believe, but Fred's foray into dog obedience came about because he was overly aggressive towards other dogs.
But when his owners found Fred on a remote beach, they soon saw his potential.
“Paul and I are slightly lazy – we can apply it – and thought that man it’s quite cool to have that environmental awareness,” says Ms Brownlie.
While Fred's more interested in cheerios than being a good citizen, he's always keen to lend a paw.
But even Fred has standards about what he'll pick up - he can't work a pooper scooper.
“It adds a bit of balance to your life. We pick up after him and he picks up after us,” says owner Paul Culpan.
Now the couple hope other dogs owners will be inspired to teach their dogs a new trick.
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