‘We got a groodle because we were told they were really calm’: Bohle Plains groodle George wins 2025 Naughtiest Pet competition

A passport chewing, mud-loving groodle called George has taken out the crown as Townsville’s naughtiest pet. His owners reveal how George came into their lives with a bang - quite literally.

A passport chewing, mud loving groodle called George has taken out the crown as Townsville’s naughtiest pet of 2025.

George was nominated by his loving owners Brogan Howson and Daniel Cullen, who recounted how the two-year-old dog came into their lives with a bang - quite literally.

“We’d just moved to Darwin and we were thinking about having a baby soon so we thought ‘let’s get a dog and try it out’,” Ms Howson said.

“We got a groodle because we were told they were really calm natured, great with kids and other dogs.”

The couple contacted a breeder in Albury, NSW, and their puppy set out on a 3,811km drive to meet them.

Brogan Howson and Daniel Cullen with Leni, 9 months, and George. Picture: Evan Morgan

“He actually loved the drive, he got to stop at all the places on the way, and he arrived home on Territory Day, which is firecracker night,” Ms Howson said.

“I thought it would be terrible with a little puppy and all the fireworks but he loved it and thrived on it.”

Confidence is something George has in spades - in fact, his domination of the Townsville Bulletin’s Naughtiest Pet competition is probably because of his vast network of friends.

“We have made a lot of friends through George,” Ms Howson joked.

“We go to the dog parks around our place and everyone knows him. He also goes once a month to a groodle play group and they love him.”

In fact, George sometimes has so much fun at the dog park, he is too tired to walk home and needs to be carried.

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George is also making friends and influencing people around his Bohle Plains home.

“Everyone in the neighbourhood knows George, the kids stop to pat him through the fence, little ones bring him sticks and there is a family up the road who give him treats,” Ms Howson said.

“He looks like a very distinguished gentleman, but he has a cheeky side.”

This cheeky side comes in the form of George’s love for all things wet and chewable.

“He loves to swim in the mud in the dog park, he loves the beach, he is a real water dog,” Ms Howson said.

George

Brogan Howson and Daniel Cullen with Leni and George. Picture: Evan Morgan

“He’s chewed up my passport - luckily it only had one month left - he’s chewed up over $70 worth of baby dummies. When Daniel comes home he will find something and bring it to him. If I leave something on the floor he’ll pick it up and bring it to me. Anything that is not his, he has to pick up.”

Since getting George, the family have welcomed their 10-month-old daughter Leni, and George has applied himself to the big brother role, reminding the toddler she’s the ‘second-born’.

Brogan Howson and Daniel Cullen with Leni, 9 months, and George. Picture: Evan Morgan

“George has all the toys in the world, but he loves taking his little sister’s baby toys,” Ms Howson said.

“But he is very sweet. He is so friendly and he’ll bow down to a dachshund.”

In terms of embarrassing secrets George might not want the public to know, Ms Howson revealed the ‘distinguished’ and ‘large’ groodle was almost called Chonkers, instead of George.

“Daniel wanted to call him Chonkers because he was such a big puppy, but there was no way I was calling that out at the dog park,” she said.

“I had been looking at pictures of groodles and they look so distinguished so I thought a gentlemanly name like George could fit.”

Groodles or ‘goldendoodles’ are a cross breed of the relatively modern Scottish Golden Retriever and the very, very old European Poodle - two breeds both developed by hunters (often titled, rich gentleman) to retrieve shot birds from the water before rapidly being adopted as companions.

Originally published as ‘We got a groodle because we were told they were really calm’: Bohle Plains groodle George wins 2025 Naughtiest Pet competition