Meet Eamon — Eamon and his partner Mel are lifelong Border Collie devotees whose family has been shaped by four generations of the breed, from childhood dog Cassie to current pack members Billy and Sunny. In this episode of Who's a Good Human, Eamon shares how his late Border Collie Fudge was discovered at a café and cast in the short film Inheritance, alongside Travis Jeffery, Matt Nable and director Myles Pollard (McLeod's Daughters) — plus how Billy landed a leading role in a WA road safety TV commercial.
We dig into what makes Border Collies so intensely intelligent and communicative (Fudge taught herself hand signals as a puppy), their surprising second career as therapy dogs supporting a school psychologist and palliative care patients at Hollywood Private Hospital, and the chaos of raising a new puppy — including one very expensive diamond earring incident.
A story about grief, loyalty, movie-star dogs, and why once you've had a Border Collie, you never really go back.
🐾 Follow Who's a Good Human for more stories of the people and animals who shape each other's lives.
Music: Spring in my Step, by Silent Partner.
00:00 - Introducing Eamon and his Border Collie obsession
00:39 - Fudge’s “hands up” trick and uncanny communication
02:32 - Early memories of Cassie and the start of a lifelong breed love
03:16 - Daily life with Border Collies and why they need mental stimulation
05:09 - Billy and Sunny become instant best friends
06:21 - Billy’s long history as the bottom dog in the pack
08:15 - Mel’s Border Collie journey, agility work, and therapy dog training
09:43 - What makes a good therapy dog and why intuition matters
11:27 - How Border Collies respond to grief and household changes
12:59 - Fudge’s discovery and the making of the short film Inheritance
13:53 - Billy’s role in the road safety commercial
15:12 - What it was like being approached for film work
16:20 - The experience of bringing dogs onto a film set
17:30 - Community support and catering on the Dunsborough shoot
18:26 - What Inheritance is about and where it has screened
19:40 - Fudge’s memorial moment in the finished film
20:55 - How Billy ended up with future casting opportunities
21:59 - Mel’s advanced training background and agility titles
23:10 - Agility as fun first, competition second
24:10 - Why Border Collies bring Eamon and Mel so much joy
25:43 - Why they’ll likely always own Border Collies
26:46 - Sunny’s expensive puppy chaos and repeated vet visits
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