When Barnaby Joyce bellowed a stern "Sit down!" at an off-camera canine during a live ABC television interview, the collective gasp echoed around the globe. News outlets from al-Jazeera to CNN broadcast the viral video clip complete with foreign subtitles, animal behaviourists rushed to analyse canine cortisol spikes, and political pundits pondered whether the sudden outburst signalled a One Nation party split.
Yet across regional paddocks and in country towns, where dogs remain working animals rather than handbag-dwelling substitute children, the incident barely raised an eyebrow.
