Bert the beagle loves to travel in the back of the ute and feel the wind on his ears.
A busy family, 270 Jersey cows and three dogs make life on the Gunbower dairy farm of Stephen and Brooke Brown a pretty busy affair. With a new rotary dairy just commissioned and the old nine-a-side dairy put to rest, the working hours for the doggos will be significantly reduced, leaving more time for chasing foxes and driving around the countryside.
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So, you have three dogs — let’s hear all about them.
Bert is a tri-coloured beagle and the family pet. At 12, Zoe is the old matriarch who is in retirement and only works when she gets lifted up on to the back of the ute and driven down to the shed. Fred is the baby of the pack, although he definitely has ambition and is pushing for alpha dog status.
Why a beagle?
Stephen: I had one when I was young and I know they make a great family pet. The Cohuna vets maintain Bert is the biggest beagle they have ever seen and he probably goes down in history as one of the most expensive as well, having had one ACL operation and possibly another one in the future.
If he is the family pet what does Bert do all day?
Brooke: Stares at Stephen with love in his eyes and waits to see what he is doing and where he is going.
Stephen: Ute or buggy rides are the highlight of Bert’s life although he is not interested in taking the kids to the bus stop at all. He much prefers to jump in the back of the ute and travel around the district. He likes to hang his head over the side (while on the lead) and feel the wind on his ears.
He always gets a lot of attention in town and he doesn’t bark until we head home and then he’s into it because he knows I can’t growl at him while I am driving. He is also an amazing scent dog — you only have to say the word ‘fox’ and he starts scanning the countryside.
Young Fred has ambitions to be the top dog but he hasn't quite made it yet.
Fred is only a young dog, how is he shaping up?
It is actually hard to give him enough work but he is a good dog and isn’t destructive. He has got a couple of weird quirks including he won’t run through a gate to get the cows up if the cattle are facing him, he prefers to go around the back. He is a bit too enthusiastic in the morning but he can outrun the buggy and hit speeds of over 45km an hour. Fred is not the top dog Bert is, but he is ambitious and is looking to take over the title.
Zoe spends her retirement only working when she feels like it.
What about Zoe, has she been a good dog?
She’s always been a great gentle working dog and really good at pushing the cows and clearing the yard at the end of the milking. Every time she comes down to the dairy Fred lifts his game because he doesn’t like being shown up by the old girl.
Zoe has always been a very maternal dog and she follows the chooks and chickens around the yard — often you look over and you can see the chooks and chickens sitting on her. She picks her working times these days as well, the other day she looked at the back of the ute and just walked off as if to say, ‘aah not today guys’.
Are three dogs enough?
It’s the most dogs we have ever had but I believe it is good to give a new working dog the opportunity to learn off a good old dog so three it is at the moment.
Words and pictures: Sophie Baldwin
Bert might be the pet of the dog pack but he still gets around the cows and loves a ride in the ute or buggy.
