These Extremely Good Boys Are Now Here To Protect Your Meals At The Sydney Opera House

Good dogs get 'em bad birds.

If you've ever dined at the Sydney Opera House outdoor area, you're well aware of the anxiety that comes with protecting your $11 chips from those vicious seagulls.

Saeed Khan / AFP / Getty Images

They quietly stand behind you with evil in their eyes, waiting for the perfect moment...

Jimmyr / Getty Images

To ATTACK!!!

Instagram: @utrieuthe

Some of them don't even wait for diners to walk away. Opera Bar, one of the restaurants with an outdoor seating area on the harbour foreshore, has had to replace meals because of seagulls.

Some companies have trialled creative ways to deter these hungry birds, but it didn't work out.

Tahlia Pritchard / BuzzFeed

"We’ve tried a number of solutions over the years to manage the seagulls at our restaurants, such as wire cloches for food, sonic deterrents and even a robotic hawk, but none have proved very effective," Jade McKellar, the director of visitor experience at the opera house said in a statement.

But it turns out, all they needed were...DOGS!

Jacquie Manning, supplied by The Sydney Opera House

The Australian Maritime Museum in Sydney took on the idea of warding off seagulls with dogs and it worked! So the opera house trialled it too during the busy summer season, and both Opera Bar and Opera Kitchen (another outdoor dining restaurant at the Sydney landmark) have reported up to 80% reduction in meal replacements due to seagulls.

Dogs with a natural instinct for birds, like kelpies or spaniels, are picked for the job.

Jacquie Manning, supplied by The Sydney Opera House

James Webb, the founder of Mad Dogs & Englishmen, trains these good boys and good girls for the "seagull patrol dog" gig. During the January trial at the Opera House, 1-2 dogs worked from 12-4pm daily. The seagulls became aware of the dogs' presence after a few weeks, and only one dog is in action at a time now.

“Initially, our dogs had to be everywhere, actively chasing birds away from diners," Webb told BuzzFeed News.

"Now we are in the final weeks of our trial, the birds know they can’t help themselves to food, and it only takes one dog sitting in the shade and coming out to scare away the odd rogue seagull to remind them the seagull patrol is still here.”

The dogs enjoy shooing the seagulls away.

Jacquie Manning, supplied by The Sydney Opera House

“Dogs are natural predators and seagulls sense that," Webb said. "While a human will bat a seagull away only [for it] to land again three metres away, a dog’s presence will cause the seagull to fly away and not return. The seagulls know that the dogs mean business and won’t land within 40 metres of them.”

The Sydney Opera House encourages the public to visit and see these canine heroes and heroines but asks that they not be distracted from their day jobs. Pet dogs are still restricted from the restaurant area.

Jacquie Manning, supplied by The Sydney Opera House

*Obviously, this photo was taken for publicity purposes, so please don't pet them when you spot them IRL.