A heart-warming photo of a West Coast dog with a duckling on its head has made it into the Huffington Post.
The popular American news website ran a story on 'dogs with jobs' (here), about specialist New Zealand dogs helping the Department of Conservation.
Rein, a Hungarian vizsla, works in a number of places, including the Okarito kiwi sanctuary, with handler and owner Iain Graham. It even has its own Instagram account filled with action shots.
The picture in the Huffington Post was taken earlier this year in the Waiho (Waiau) riverbed, near Franz Josef Glacier.
"A tourist brought the duckling in to work as it was found motherless. Usually if there's nothing obviously wrong with them we try and release them ASAP so this was taken just before releasing him with another group of ducklings," Mr Graham told the Greymouth Star yesterday.
Mr Graham said in this situation, they find a group about the same size and age and chase them till they scatter, then throw the new duckling into the fray.
"When they all come back together the new duckling is usually accepted into the group."
To view more pictures of Rein visit 'his' Instagram account @gingerdogwithajob
- Laura Mills of the Greymouth Star
