With numerous Cavoodle puppies for sale in Sydney, the last thing a canine owner would expect to witness at a local dog-friendly park is a pooch custody battle. But for several pet parents, this was the case.

The altercation happened seven months ago at Milson Park in Kirribilli, an affluent and serene suburb located just a few kilometres north of Sydney. Mark Gillespie and Gina Edwards caught the attention of many dog owners when they had a dispute over who is the rightful owner of an Instagram-famous Cavoodle named Oscar.

The Backstory

Mark, a cruise ship director, is the registered owner of Oscar. Whenever he was away, Gina, a Sydney barrister, and her husband would dog-sit the Cavoodle. However, Oscar is unlike most other dogs – it has over 10,000 followers on Instagram.

Given the pooch’s online popularity, the couple asked Mark permission to take over Oscar’s social media account. They managed to further increase the canine’s followers, resulting in numerous product endorsements as well as television and public appearances.

From Fame to Claim

Before the incident at Milson Park, the parties already had an 18-month standoff. It started when Mark claimed that the couple had stolen his dog.

According to him, Gina took Oscar without consent while he was away for work back in 2019. He said that the dog was taken to a television shoot and was not returned.

Because of the incident, a legal battle sparked between the two former friends and is now being handled by the New South Wales Supreme Court.

Commotion at the Park

Given the prolonged quarrel between the parties, A Current Affair’s camera crew approached Gina, who was with Oscar at Milson Park that time. She ran from the crew and shouted for her friends to call the police.

Mark unexpectedly appeared out of nowhere and found his Cavoodle running immediately to him. Gina chased Mark around the park as he carried the dog in his arms. A game of snatch ensued, causing nine police officers, including the Kirribilli station commander, to interfere.

The police gave Mark possession of Oscar as he is the registered owner of the dog. Mark, however, allowed Gina to take the pooch for the time being. According to him, he will fight for custody in court and follow due process. Meanwhile, Gina has filed for an apprehended violence order against Mark due to the incident at the dog park.