Fly Dog Aaron – the unofficial mascot of the RFDS - has become a star of social media this year.
The gorgeous hound belongs to Dr Tom Huang who, as well as being an RFDS doctor, also happens to be a talented photographer.
In his downtime, Tom takes beautiful images many of which are of aircraft and of Aaron. The photos of Aaron, posted on the RFDS Facebook and Instagram accounts, are everyone’s favourites and draw hundreds of likes and comments.
You can follow the RFDS on Facebook at @royalflyingdoctorservice and on Instagram at @royalflyingdoc
Here Tom tells us all about Aaron.
Q. What sort of dog is Aaron and how old is he?
A. He’s a five year-old Golden Retriever
Q. Where and who does he live with?
A. He lives with his human daddy and mummy, me and my partner Iris Chen, and he commutes between Brisbane and Broken Hill in my plane.
Q. How does he cope with the flying?
A. He loves it more than driving for sure! He has his own mutt muff (headset for dogs) to keep the noise down and a personal bed on the plane with plenty of treats en route!
Q. Why did you call him Aaron?
A. He is named Aaron with two As, so he would be the first dog to be called at the dog training school!
Q. How do you get him to pose so nicely for the camera?
A. Schmackos, plus the promise of being rich and famous!
Q. Does he have a favourite friend at the RFDS?
A. Renato – a rescue greyhound (see photo) that belongs to pilot Conrado. They play every second day, terrorising the chicken that Conrado keeps in his backyard.
Q. What does he think about the RFDS?
A. He loves it! He thinks there should be an RFDS for dogs and cats! There is one in the US, check out this site https://www.pilotsnpaws.org/
