EXCLUSIVE: Trevor and Jess Reunite for Santa Photos at Cronulla — Standoff Reported Between Dachshund and Man in Red

Finn Seabrook | Local Correspondent | Sutherland Shire Gazette

23 December 2025

CRONULLA - Christmas peace briefly descended on the peninsula this week after Trevor the Dachshund and Jess were spotted lining up for Santa photos on Cronulla Beach, signalling what locals are calling “a mature step forward” and what Trevor is calling “excellent lighting.”

The annual dog-and-Santa ritual — a Shire tradition somewhere between wholesome and lightly chaotic — was already running behind schedule when Trevor arrived, refusing to sit, declining eye contact, and insisting on being photographed exclusively from his left side.

Witnesses say Jess attempted the standard techniques: treats, whispers, bargaining, and quiet threats about “going home immediately.” Trevor responded by lying down flat and becoming inexplicably heavy, a move experts confirm is a classic power play.

The situation escalated when Santa, consulting his list, asked Trevor if he’d “been good this year.” Trevor allegedly stared back in silence, prompting Santa to check the list again, then adjust his glasses.

“It was a real stalemate,” said one parent waiting with a golden retriever already sweating in a reindeer collar. “Santa was asserting moral authority. Trevor was asserting… everything else.”

Eventually, a compromise was reached. Trevor agreed to sit still for three seconds in exchange for creative control and a guarantee the photo would not be cropped “too high.”

Jess, observers noted, remained calm throughout — smiling, patient, and clearly in charge. “That’s the dynamic,” said a local. “Trevor runs the street. Jess runs Trevor.”

The photo was taken. Santa survived. Trevor tolerated the hat.

By the time they left, the crowd appeared quietly satisfied — not because the photo was perfect, but because Christmas in the Shire is rarely about perfection. It’s about turning up, holding the lead, and hoping your dog looks vaguely cooperative for long enough to document the year.

Santa, for his part, was last seen making a small note beside Trevor’s name.

Twice.