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Characters > Pet Profiles > Bob Supplied by Animal Actors

Bob 1997-2009
Lived: 28, 30, 32 Ramsay Street
Died: 2009

When Sarah Beaumont found a lost stray Maltese Terrier in 1997, she quickly decided to take him in, and named him Bob, after one of her favourite uncles. Though Sarah’s housemate, Ben Atkins, didn’t want a pet around the place, he quickly warmed to the mutt, though Bob managed to cause problems when he tore Ricky – the ventriloquist’s dummy belonging to Ben and Sarah’s temporary housemate Richard Jones – to shreds. As if that wasn't bad enough, Sarah then accidentally ran her new dog over, and a boy named Elliot then came looking for his lost dog, who he knew as Sparky. Sarah handed him over, having been convinced by Ben that every kid needed a pet, but a few months later, Bob was returned to Sarah, this time for keeps. Bob was at the centre of more drama when Susan Kennedy, neighbour and the wife of Dr Karl, with whom Sarah had a long but uneventful attraction, ran the little dog over again. Though he recovered, it did finally force the two women to talk to each other. Later that year, Sarah married Dr Peter Hannay and the pair set off for a new life in Amsterdam, leaving Bob in the almost capable hands of her housemates Toadie Rebecchi and Joel Samuels.

Not long after Sarah departed Erinsborough, Bob went missing and Toadie went to collect him from the pound. But, after a few weeks, it became clear that he’d brought home the wrong dog – a quick check for the scar from his car accident proving this. After searching for the real Bob, and almost giving up, Toadie spotted English student Charlie Thorpe walking him in the park. They swapped dogs – the rogue canine was actually Fluff, who Charlie had been looking after for a friend – and romance soon blossomed for Toadie and Charlie, though it ended abruptly when he realised that she only wanted him so she could get married and gain residency. Bob went missing again later in 1999, this time a search party began, which ended up giving Bill Kennedy a chance to spend time with his ex, Anne Wilkinson, and the young couple got back together.

In 2001, Bob, along with the Scully dog, Harvey, suddenly went missing, only for an ad to appear in the Erinsborough news, listing descriptions of the two dogs for sale. Joel Samuels, Lou Carpenter and Steph Scully followed up the ad, but when the man answered, Lou ended up snapping at him and got the door slammed in his face. They then came up with a new plan and, whilst Lou apologised, Joel and Steph climbed over the fence and retrieved the dogs, taking them back to their homes in Ramsay Street.

In 2003, Sarah called from England and, having found somewhere to live, she wanted Bob sent over to join her. Unable to be parted with the dog he’d come to love as one of the family, Toadie had the bright idea of buying an identical dog, Bib, and sending him over in Bob’s place. Though he thought he’d managed to get away with it, Sarah’s message during 2005’s anniversary video showed that she hadn’t been fooled by the switch. Since then, Bob has moved with Toadie around Ramsay Street. After a brief stay at number 28, he then moved to number 32, where Toadie had set up home with Steph, her dog Harvey and baby Charlie.

It hasn’t all been kidnappings and life threatening dramas for Bob, however. In 1998, he developed a friendship with Happy the Dalmatian, who lived over the back fence, while in 2000, he became involved in Lance Wilkinson’s Seven Labours of Love, when he was dressed as an alien for Lance’s third labour – to film his own science-fiction movie. The following year, little Emily Hancock was looking after Bob and giving him a bath when she inexplicably managed to dye him blue.

In 2008, Bob was run over for a second time, when Frazer Yeats accidentally hit him in his taxi, as he raced off to his pregnant wife, Rosie, who had collapsed at work. The pregnancy was still a secret from their friends, so neighbours Steve and Bridget Parker were alarmed when he left them to deal with the incident and drove off. Fortunately, Steve, a vet, was able to operate at his surgery and, despite serious injuries, Bob pulled through, moving back to number 28, where Toadie was staying following his split from Steph. Though Toadie and Bob then returned to live at 30 Ramsay Street, Bob was forced to move back to Steph's when new housemate Daniel Fitzgerald believed he was allergic to the dog. When it later turned out that his allergy was just to Bob's dog bed, he was allowed to return.

In mid-2009, Bob was suddenly taken ill and tests showed that he was suffering from cancer. Steve broke the news to a devastated Toadie, and his adoptive son Callum that their dog would have to be put down and, after some resistance, and a few tearful goodbyes, Bob was put to sleep. Many of the neighbours then gathered at number 30, where Steve brought the ashes, only for Toadie to accidentally drop the urn and for the ashes to be sucked up with the hoover and put in a lunchbox, before being scattered over the lake.

Trivia Notes
• Bob was originally going to be named Arthur. The name was changed at the last minute, as the dog being used to play the part was called Bob, and so the original episode guides still used the old name
• The original dog who played Bob was replaced with a lookalike, BJ (Bob Junior) when Animal Actors started providing the pets in 1999. In 2006, BJ died and was replaced with a second lookalike named Ricky

Biography by Steve