Jimmy Crawford lands somewhere between Dennis the Menace and the Little Rascals’, “Alfalfa”.
A curious little boy with old-man wisdom. He has a ready grin and a trusty sidekick, Wheels. A bitzer of sorts.
“He’s probably a kelpie,” Jimmy said, confidently.
According to Jimmy’s parents, Sarah and Ash Crawford of Tocumwal, Wheels is in fact a Staffy cross blue heeler with potentially some kelpie in the mix.
Wheels is twice as old as Jimmy with a dozen years under his collar and apparently, he knows tricks.
“If you get him to sit and then say bang, he dies on the ground,” Jimmy said.
When Country News visited Jimmy, enjoying his first ever winter school holidays, Wheels was busy chasing the pee wee 50 up and down their bush block driveway.
Despite Wheels’ arthritic hips, he kept up with the bike with a smile on his face, happy to be part of the action, ignoring the fact he’d be stiff and sore the following day.
When asked how Wheels passes his time with the Crawford family, Jimmy is quick to rattle off his favourite hobbies.
“Wheels likes swimming in the river, he likes going into the golf club on Sundays to eat the left-over bacon from people’s breakfasts and he likes it when I pat him,” Jimmy said.
Wheels earned his name because of his black body and four white-socked feet. This trusty family pet has had a few close calls over the years and it still surprises Sarah that he’s going strong.
“One day Wheels went out to Pop’s farm and the bull poked him with his big horns and made a hole in his leg!” Jimmy said.
He was also once stolen from outside Kelly’s Pub while he waited patiently for his people to exit the local watering hole.
Wheels and Jimmy share an appetite for burning energy and adventure and neither of them will be slowing down anytime soon.
Words and pictures: Carly Marriott