DutyBound
S T U D D O G S PA RT 2
by Katrina Partridge
The canine personalities who featured in last year’s magazine proved so popular that we decided to feature a few more (apologies to the hundreds we could not include… being a horse magazine after all).
W
e asked owners what makes their dog/s an essential component of farm life. We received answers that ranged from their dog’s role in overseeing staff attendance, mustering cattle or supervising the seasonal truck arrivals and departures at the arrival yards (the dog being more than happy to accept the occasional meat pie as payment). Other dogs prefer a day in the tractor to ensure farm work is up to speed, some elect to babysit children (or sick or injured foals), accompany staff on the feed run or whilst walking yearlings, guide reluctant horses down laneways, feature on the farm’s social media accounts, act as client liaison/conduct regular meet-and-greets or simply be a willing ear when the person with them was having a bad day. Not all dogs are impeccably behaved: some steal grooming brushes from the stallion barn, others choose to swim in the artificial lake alongside the office (then traipse their muddy feet across the reception carpet), some insisted on regularly sleeping on the job, whilst still others chased kangaroos or rolled in cow manure. One thing is certain however: every dog - like their owner - is unique and their importance ubiquitous.
Harper, Attunga
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\ DUTY BOUND \ KATRINA PARTRIDGE
