Muster Dogs

Book excerpt: An outback story of kelpies, red dirt and the future of a family farm. Now streaming on ABC iView and Netflix. Life on the land is often boom or bust, forever at the mercy of Mother Nature. Aticia 'Teesh' Grey took on the manager's role on her family's West Pilbara cattle station a few years after picking up her first team of kelpies. Almost immediately she was faced with a severe and devastating drought that forced her to question everything she thought she knew about the fragile country of her home. Through the heartbreaking rollercoaster journey that followed, Teesh's loyal canine companions proved invaluable as she and her family worked towards securing the property's future. The versatility of these amazing dogs took the station in directions no one anticipated. In 2020, Teesh got the chance to showcase the potential of working dogs more widely. Joining the ABC TV series Muster Dogs, Teesh and four other farming families took on the challenge of training new kelpie pups and testing their worth on the properties they run. Through this experience they showed the bonds that are formed between human and dog and vividly demonstrated a positive environmental future for farming in rural Australia. This is a story of love, laughter, loss and hope, as Teesh finds her feet in an ever-changing world with the help of the dogs who have stood by her side through it all. PRAISE 'Kick your boots off and settle in for a wild journey of love and heartbreak, from the most inspiring cattlewoman I know ...' Margareta Osborn, author and grazier 'Evocative, authentic and freshly engaging account of pastoral life ... reads like a Wild West adventure story ... At the end of this journey Grey recounts her transformative shift to a regenerative agriculture approach that puts the landscape first so as to begin healing 'Country'. What is optimistically promised is a fuller, less stressful lifestyle and healthier, more productive livestock' Charles Massy, author and voice for regenerative agriculture