Election 2022: Toto Albanese dethrones Buddy Morrison as Australia’s top dog

Scott Morrison’s dog Buddy has had a ruff day coming to terms with Toto Albanese becoming Australia’s new top dog.

It is a ruff day for schnoodle Buddy Morrison, who will be struggling to stay pawsitive after being dethroned as Australia’s top dog.

Enter cavoodle Toto Albanese, who will soon be strutting his stuff as the country’s new First Dog.

But Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese has so far let the sleeping dog die over whether Toto will move in at The Lodge in Canberra or at Kirribilli House in Sydney, where Scott Morrison’s family dog wasn’t the most pup-ular among neighbours.

It’s unclear where Toto will decide to call home. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Toto, a female cavoodle, joined Mr Albanese several times during the campaign, including when the Labor leader was plunged into lockdown for seven days after catching Covid.

He has opened up on the love for his pooch many times, once describing Toto as “poetry in commotion”.

“When I’ve been away for a bit – in parliament or out on the road – there’s nothing quite like getting back and opening the front door,” Mr Albanese said.

Toto will be taking over from Scott Morrison’s schnoodle Buddy as Australia’s First Dog after Mr Albanese won the federal election on Saturday.

Buddy drove his neighbours barking mad last year after being cooped up at Kirribilli House, earning the nickname “Spotty from Barketing”, in a sledge aimed at Mr Morrison’s background in marketing with Tourism Australia.

Scott Morrison’s dog Buddy caused a bit of a row with the neighbours in Sydney. Picture: Adam Taylor

Several neighbours complained about Buddy’s constant barking, which they said was “really annoying”. But the Morrison family insisted his bark was louder than his bite, and that he was just getting a bit excited by the ferries along Sydney Harbour and the neighbourhood bush turkeys.

Like a dog with a bone, The Advertiser is urgently trying to clarify with Mr Albanese’s office which prime ministerial residence Toto will be moving into.

“One thing that I do know is that wherever I go, Toto will be going with me,” Mr Albanese said before the election.

Pauline Hanson revealed Mr Albanese complained about Toto’s portrayal in an episode of political cartoon ‘Please Explain’.

“He said ‘your cartoon … Toto. He’s been portrayed as a vicious dog. Toto’s not a vicious dog. He’s a lovely dog. He’s a calm dog’,” Ms Hanson said.

Originally published as Election 2022: Toto Albanese dethrones Buddy Morrison as Australia’s top dog