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Muster Dogs
An outback story of kelpies, red dirt and the future of a family farm. 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
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 26, 2024
Loved the Netflix show 'Muster Dogs' that this book relates to, but actually only a couple of the last chapters relates to that show. The rest of the book is actually better. If you are a herding dog book fan, as much as I hate the phrase, I would say it is a 'must read'. For everyone, I would just say it is a great dog book.
I will include a lot of quotes in my review here. For most of you, I would say just read the book, then come back and read the quotes to remember the good stuff. For those who need convincing, or may not think they have time to read the book, you can read them and enjoy. I try not to give away turns in the story, but I will share a fair amount of good stuff.
The book is about her life growing up and managing a cattle station in the outback of Western Australia. Here is a description of the cattle station and area:
'Our property, Glen Florrie Station, also known as Glenflorrie, is located in the southwest Pilbara of Western Australia. It’s a beautiful station surrounded by picturesque ranges featuring stunning gorges with creeks and rivers winding through. It’s not an easy station by any means, earning itself a reputation over the years as a battler’s block. It has very little soft river-flood country but its harshness has its own beauty. From spinifex-covered hills and mulga flats to creeks lined with majestic river gums, paperbarks and abundant bird life, it’s the type of country that captures a piece of your heart in the good times and can bring you to your knees in the bad.'
I loved all of the book. It starts with her growing up as a barefoot bush kid. She learns a valuable lesson when she was young with one of her first dogs, a small dog named Gem:
'Gem was a great mate, loyally keeping me company on any number of adventures. Unfortunately, I lost her too early and it was one of the hardest losses of my childhood. On the fateful day, I was charged with finding the horses, so I headed out on the motorbike just before lunch. Gem tried to follow me but I called over my shoulder for her to stay home. I wanted to ride faster than she could safely handle so that I could be back quicker. I remember looking back and seeing her standing halfway along the track, watching me ride off.
While out looking for the horses, I noticed two wedge-tailed eagles flying in the area and alarm bells went off. These birds aren’t prolific on our property, but I knew that my small cream dog would be the perfect prey for them if she was out there.'
Prior to the working dogs, they would manage the cattle by helicopter, horseback, and ATV or motorbike. It is dangerous work, as a fair amount of their cattle they started off with are feral cattle. Her father came up with a rating system:
'He had a coding system where code 1s were his good breeders and 5s were, well, not. I never met his code 5s but I sure met plenty of his code 4s over the years, which were as unfriendly and dangerous as any wild cattle, maybe more so, as they didn’t seem to have any fear of humans, just plain cunning.'
'Talk about attitude. Where they were most trouble, though, was in the close confines of the cattle yards. When you stepped into the pen with a code 4, in pretty short order they would have you climbing the fence. ‘Dancing the top rail’, as it became known, was a common occurrence in the early days and for many years to follow.'
So the job with these dangerous cattle is 'mustering':
'Mustering is one of the most exciting events on a cattle station. Each property has a different program and some properties do two laps a year, but the purpose is the same, During a muster, the cattle are gathered together from an area and yarded up into either permanent or portable yards. From there, they are drafted (sorted), with sale cattle being sent direct to market or moved to a holding paddock to be sold later.'
As the author is growing up and has a chance to get out more she sees the effectiveness of dogs in the work:
'Seeing the huntaways and heading dogs that operated in New Zealand sparked my interest in working dogs, so when the opportunity arose to attend a Neil McDonald Advanced Livestock and Working Dog School early in 2013, I jumped at it. Neil McDonald is a renowned dog trainer, teaching schools across Australia for over 30 years. Realizing the importance of good stock handling, his schools teach you more than just how to work a dog, they also teach you how to handle livestock. Something I hadn’t appreciated at all. Turns out just because you have been doing something for twenty years, doesn’t mean you are any good at it.'
Passages in the book on training and working with the dogs are my favorites so I will share some of them. I liked this first one that talked about the need to put the dogs in kennels. For those of us with dogs that are just pets, it would be easier to see any kenneling as cruel, but helpful for stock dogs:
'Our heelers were what Neil calls ‘Gold Coaster dogs’, rarely ever tied up and allowed to run around doing as they pleased any time of the day. You can usually pick a Gold Coaster at a dog school as soon as the owner tries to do a task with it. The dog will spend its time introducing itself to the other dogs, smelling and marking scents, taking in the new surroundings and generally ignoring the (by now quite embarrassed) owner who is trying to get on with the job at hand. There are always exceptions, of course, but generally, a dog that is free to do as it pleases at home is inclined to do as it pleases at a school, Suddenly, all the new and unfamiliar scents and dogs are far more interesting than working a few old sheep.
I have seen dogs who are tied up or caged permanently, never getting a chance to run around to expend some of that energy and miserable because of it, which is cruel and unnecessary. What I learnt at Neil’s school was it is necessary to keep dogs tied up, for a range of reasons, but that there is a kind way to do it. Keeping a dog restrained, kenneled or closely supervised when it’s not working keeps it fresh in the mind, keen to do the job at hand and also, most importantly, alive. You don’t often hear of a kennel being run over, but everyone seems to know of a dog that didn’t make it back out from under a wheel while running around loose.'
The book isn't set up to teach you to use dogs for stock work, but it is fun to read about her journey to teach her dogs to manage stock. She buys 5 experienced dogs and starts working with them:
'Neil says there are two ways to start educating your Cattle to being handled with dogs. You can start by educating your weaners and as the years pass and the next generations are incorporated into your main herd, the youngsters learn at their dam’s side and you will eventually end up with a nice herd of educated cattle. Or you can go all in, draw a line and decide that everything is getting educated from now on, cows, weaners, bulls, the lot. You can guess which way I went.'
'As much as I would love to keep every pup I raise, my limit is around twelve dogs. This gives me two teams of four working dogs, two young ones coming on and two in the wings for maternity leave and injuries and some semblance of sanity. I’ve had more dogs than this at times and it can get pretty hectic. I’ve had fewer and, though they do better for the regular, consistent work, we can be left short-handed very quickly, But every now and then a special pup wriggles its way into my team and stays there, learning alongside me on this journey we call life.'
I know a lot of people that don't like dog books where the dog dies in the end. Well, dogs may not die in the end... but it is dangerous work. The sad ending of a couple of dogs are written about in the book. It is never like 'a tool broke, let's just get a new tool' but always heart breaking. She speaks a little overall on using dogs in dangerous work here:
'There is no denying that the work we ask our dogs to do is often dangerous and unpredictable. Despite that, these high. drive dogs live for the chance to work livestock. Win their hearts, earn their respect and these amazing animals will give us their all. Accidents happen. Sometimes all it takes is a slight misstep to turn an ordinary working day into one you forever wish you could go back and relive differently. My dogs don’t want to be wrapped in cotton wool but there are situations that I recognize now as too risky, when the cost isn’t worth the gain, and the dogs are kept away to work another day. They are worth more to me than one more cow in the yards ever will be.'
The most heart wrenching story was when she went out with three dogs to round up the cattle during the drought. At one point she looks around and only has two dogs. After a determined search she finds the dog in a bad way and the vet is 6 hours away. She calls her friend to ask for advice:
'Once again I called Del and asked her one of the hardest questions I’ve ever had to: ‘I need to know if this is it, or is there still a chance. Once I leave here, I can’t help him if it gets worse.
I am thankful every day for her words, knowing the weight of what I was asking her. She couldn’t see him, couldn’t check him over herself, had nothing to go on but my desperate observations. ‘If he is still there, if you can see he is conscious and the life is in his eyes ... keep going.’ So I did.'
Here is another passage I liked on how working with dogs is worth the reward:
'Working with dogs, especially a team of them, isn’t for everyone, and I fully respect that. For my own part, I wouldn’t be on a property without them. Some people say using dogs makes you lazy. There are times when I’m standing at the gate watching the dogs do the work to bring the cattle into the yards and I can feel exactly that. But being able to utilize dogs to make a job easier is the reward for the time I spend every morning and night looking after them. Lazy? I'd call that Smart. They pay my time back ten-fold.'
For those looking for more direct instruction on training, there isn't necessarily a lot, but here is a couple of passages that relate to that:
I do not consider myself a dog trainer. If I’m honest, as much as I enjoy watching my dogs and pups progress, learn and really grow into what they are destined for, I find it hard to get enthusiastic about the nitty-gritty day-to-day education sessions. I much prefer taking my dogs with me to learn on the job. Hence, why I rely on my dogs having very strong natural instincts. I don’t set out to ‘teach’ them what to do, my job is to set up the situation for their natural skill to come through, allow them opportunities to learn from their mistakes and protect them from any serious injury or knocks to their confidence while they are still finding their feet. Guess you can call these ‘learning sessions at work’.
'Time spent with the pup now is what sets us both up for the wins later on. We often put pressure on ourselves and our pups to hit big milestones too early and we can come undone with our good intentions. A pup is like a young child. I want to set them up for wins, encourage every attempt and build their confidence to think they can do anything, Make them think they are ten feet tall and bullet-proof. Later on, this confidence will help them roll with the kicks and blows, mishaps and mistakes. '
The book does eventually talk about being in the Muster dogs show. They mention the drought, but you need to read the book to really feel how she was going through a hard time when she took on training the dog and being involved with the show. Here is a paragraph from that part:
'It wasn’t just the stress of things going wrong on film, - which I was starting to adamantly believe was an inevitable fact of life - that was getting to me. I was running short op Sleep, the cooking was a full-time job on its own, we had a yard full of cattle which I needed to get out into paddocks and off hay as soon as possible, and I was aware of the tight timeframe for shooting the documentary. Preferably with a smile.'
So, great book and lots of great details on working with dogs and life in a cattle station. There is a lot more of course in the book. I would have liked to also discuss her use of Maremma dogs as well as her kelpies. For those with an interest in dingoes, there is some discussion predators. Lots of good stuff, so read the book and then come back and let's have a discussion.
I will include a lot of quotes in my review here. For most of you, I would say just read the book, then come back and read the quotes to remember the good stuff. For those who need convincing, or may not think they have time to read the book, you can read them and enjoy. I try not to give away turns in the story, but I will share a fair amount of good stuff.
The book is about her life growing up and managing a cattle station in the outback of Western Australia. Here is a description of the cattle station and area:
'Our property, Glen Florrie Station, also known as Glenflorrie, is located in the southwest Pilbara of Western Australia. It’s a beautiful station surrounded by picturesque ranges featuring stunning gorges with creeks and rivers winding through. It’s not an easy station by any means, earning itself a reputation over the years as a battler’s block. It has very little soft river-flood country but its harshness has its own beauty. From spinifex-covered hills and mulga flats to creeks lined with majestic river gums, paperbarks and abundant bird life, it’s the type of country that captures a piece of your heart in the good times and can bring you to your knees in the bad.'
I loved all of the book. It starts with her growing up as a barefoot bush kid. She learns a valuable lesson when she was young with one of her first dogs, a small dog named Gem:
'Gem was a great mate, loyally keeping me company on any number of adventures. Unfortunately, I lost her too early and it was one of the hardest losses of my childhood. On the fateful day, I was charged with finding the horses, so I headed out on the motorbike just before lunch. Gem tried to follow me but I called over my shoulder for her to stay home. I wanted to ride faster than she could safely handle so that I could be back quicker. I remember looking back and seeing her standing halfway along the track, watching me ride off.
While out looking for the horses, I noticed two wedge-tailed eagles flying in the area and alarm bells went off. These birds aren’t prolific on our property, but I knew that my small cream dog would be the perfect prey for them if she was out there.'
Prior to the working dogs, they would manage the cattle by helicopter, horseback, and ATV or motorbike. It is dangerous work, as a fair amount of their cattle they started off with are feral cattle. Her father came up with a rating system:
'He had a coding system where code 1s were his good breeders and 5s were, well, not. I never met his code 5s but I sure met plenty of his code 4s over the years, which were as unfriendly and dangerous as any wild cattle, maybe more so, as they didn’t seem to have any fear of humans, just plain cunning.'
'Talk about attitude. Where they were most trouble, though, was in the close confines of the cattle yards. When you stepped into the pen with a code 4, in pretty short order they would have you climbing the fence. ‘Dancing the top rail’, as it became known, was a common occurrence in the early days and for many years to follow.'
So the job with these dangerous cattle is 'mustering':
'Mustering is one of the most exciting events on a cattle station. Each property has a different program and some properties do two laps a year, but the purpose is the same, During a muster, the cattle are gathered together from an area and yarded up into either permanent or portable yards. From there, they are drafted (sorted), with sale cattle being sent direct to market or moved to a holding paddock to be sold later.'
As the author is growing up and has a chance to get out more she sees the effectiveness of dogs in the work:
'Seeing the huntaways and heading dogs that operated in New Zealand sparked my interest in working dogs, so when the opportunity arose to attend a Neil McDonald Advanced Livestock and Working Dog School early in 2013, I jumped at it. Neil McDonald is a renowned dog trainer, teaching schools across Australia for over 30 years. Realizing the importance of good stock handling, his schools teach you more than just how to work a dog, they also teach you how to handle livestock. Something I hadn’t appreciated at all. Turns out just because you have been doing something for twenty years, doesn’t mean you are any good at it.'
Passages in the book on training and working with the dogs are my favorites so I will share some of them. I liked this first one that talked about the need to put the dogs in kennels. For those of us with dogs that are just pets, it would be easier to see any kenneling as cruel, but helpful for stock dogs:
'Our heelers were what Neil calls ‘Gold Coaster dogs’, rarely ever tied up and allowed to run around doing as they pleased any time of the day. You can usually pick a Gold Coaster at a dog school as soon as the owner tries to do a task with it. The dog will spend its time introducing itself to the other dogs, smelling and marking scents, taking in the new surroundings and generally ignoring the (by now quite embarrassed) owner who is trying to get on with the job at hand. There are always exceptions, of course, but generally, a dog that is free to do as it pleases at home is inclined to do as it pleases at a school, Suddenly, all the new and unfamiliar scents and dogs are far more interesting than working a few old sheep.
I have seen dogs who are tied up or caged permanently, never getting a chance to run around to expend some of that energy and miserable because of it, which is cruel and unnecessary. What I learnt at Neil’s school was it is necessary to keep dogs tied up, for a range of reasons, but that there is a kind way to do it. Keeping a dog restrained, kenneled or closely supervised when it’s not working keeps it fresh in the mind, keen to do the job at hand and also, most importantly, alive. You don’t often hear of a kennel being run over, but everyone seems to know of a dog that didn’t make it back out from under a wheel while running around loose.'
The book isn't set up to teach you to use dogs for stock work, but it is fun to read about her journey to teach her dogs to manage stock. She buys 5 experienced dogs and starts working with them:
'Neil says there are two ways to start educating your Cattle to being handled with dogs. You can start by educating your weaners and as the years pass and the next generations are incorporated into your main herd, the youngsters learn at their dam’s side and you will eventually end up with a nice herd of educated cattle. Or you can go all in, draw a line and decide that everything is getting educated from now on, cows, weaners, bulls, the lot. You can guess which way I went.'
'As much as I would love to keep every pup I raise, my limit is around twelve dogs. This gives me two teams of four working dogs, two young ones coming on and two in the wings for maternity leave and injuries and some semblance of sanity. I’ve had more dogs than this at times and it can get pretty hectic. I’ve had fewer and, though they do better for the regular, consistent work, we can be left short-handed very quickly, But every now and then a special pup wriggles its way into my team and stays there, learning alongside me on this journey we call life.'
I know a lot of people that don't like dog books where the dog dies in the end. Well, dogs may not die in the end... but it is dangerous work. The sad ending of a couple of dogs are written about in the book. It is never like 'a tool broke, let's just get a new tool' but always heart breaking. She speaks a little overall on using dogs in dangerous work here:
'There is no denying that the work we ask our dogs to do is often dangerous and unpredictable. Despite that, these high. drive dogs live for the chance to work livestock. Win their hearts, earn their respect and these amazing animals will give us their all. Accidents happen. Sometimes all it takes is a slight misstep to turn an ordinary working day into one you forever wish you could go back and relive differently. My dogs don’t want to be wrapped in cotton wool but there are situations that I recognize now as too risky, when the cost isn’t worth the gain, and the dogs are kept away to work another day. They are worth more to me than one more cow in the yards ever will be.'
The most heart wrenching story was when she went out with three dogs to round up the cattle during the drought. At one point she looks around and only has two dogs. After a determined search she finds the dog in a bad way and the vet is 6 hours away. She calls her friend to ask for advice:
'Once again I called Del and asked her one of the hardest questions I’ve ever had to: ‘I need to know if this is it, or is there still a chance. Once I leave here, I can’t help him if it gets worse.
I am thankful every day for her words, knowing the weight of what I was asking her. She couldn’t see him, couldn’t check him over herself, had nothing to go on but my desperate observations. ‘If he is still there, if you can see he is conscious and the life is in his eyes ... keep going.’ So I did.'
Here is another passage I liked on how working with dogs is worth the reward:
'Working with dogs, especially a team of them, isn’t for everyone, and I fully respect that. For my own part, I wouldn’t be on a property without them. Some people say using dogs makes you lazy. There are times when I’m standing at the gate watching the dogs do the work to bring the cattle into the yards and I can feel exactly that. But being able to utilize dogs to make a job easier is the reward for the time I spend every morning and night looking after them. Lazy? I'd call that Smart. They pay my time back ten-fold.'
For those looking for more direct instruction on training, there isn't necessarily a lot, but here is a couple of passages that relate to that:
I do not consider myself a dog trainer. If I’m honest, as much as I enjoy watching my dogs and pups progress, learn and really grow into what they are destined for, I find it hard to get enthusiastic about the nitty-gritty day-to-day education sessions. I much prefer taking my dogs with me to learn on the job. Hence, why I rely on my dogs having very strong natural instincts. I don’t set out to ‘teach’ them what to do, my job is to set up the situation for their natural skill to come through, allow them opportunities to learn from their mistakes and protect them from any serious injury or knocks to their confidence while they are still finding their feet. Guess you can call these ‘learning sessions at work’.
'Time spent with the pup now is what sets us both up for the wins later on. We often put pressure on ourselves and our pups to hit big milestones too early and we can come undone with our good intentions. A pup is like a young child. I want to set them up for wins, encourage every attempt and build their confidence to think they can do anything, Make them think they are ten feet tall and bullet-proof. Later on, this confidence will help them roll with the kicks and blows, mishaps and mistakes. '
The book does eventually talk about being in the Muster dogs show. They mention the drought, but you need to read the book to really feel how she was going through a hard time when she took on training the dog and being involved with the show. Here is a paragraph from that part:
'It wasn’t just the stress of things going wrong on film, - which I was starting to adamantly believe was an inevitable fact of life - that was getting to me. I was running short op Sleep, the cooking was a full-time job on its own, we had a yard full of cattle which I needed to get out into paddocks and off hay as soon as possible, and I was aware of the tight timeframe for shooting the documentary. Preferably with a smile.'
So, great book and lots of great details on working with dogs and life in a cattle station. There is a lot more of course in the book. I would have liked to also discuss her use of Maremma dogs as well as her kelpies. For those with an interest in dingoes, there is some discussion predators. Lots of good stuff, so read the book and then come back and let's have a discussion.
November 10, 2022
I watched Muster Dogs when it was on tv and loved it, so when I heard there was a book out I just had to buy a copy.
This is not only a book about Kelpie working dogs, but it also gives us an insight into the day-to-day running of a working farm. After reading this book you have a real appreciation for the tireless hard work that goes into running a working farm. It’s not for everyone, but those who take it on do a remarkable job and most of them wouldn’t have it any other way.
I loved this book. Highly recommended.
This is not only a book about Kelpie working dogs, but it also gives us an insight into the day-to-day running of a working farm. After reading this book you have a real appreciation for the tireless hard work that goes into running a working farm. It’s not for everyone, but those who take it on do a remarkable job and most of them wouldn’t have it any other way.
I loved this book. Highly recommended.
February 4, 2022
Offering an intimate peek into life on a remote Pilbara cattle station, Aticia Grey's memoir focuses on her experiences with her beloved kelpies. Plenty of chuckles but just as many lumps in the throat. At somewhere between 5-6 hours, this audiobook is a quick but really worthwhile read.
December 8, 2021
A great yarn. Perfect for me, stories about dogs and even better working dogs, country life and connections with others.
I didn’t watch the doco that this book arose from but might need to seek it out.
A 3.5 star rating really but I don’t have that option, so I gave it a 4
I didn’t watch the doco that this book arose from but might need to seek it out.
A 3.5 star rating really but I don’t have that option, so I gave it a 4
January 4, 2023
Although I did not see any of this series on television, I enjoyed this account of Aticia Grey’s introduction to and gradual mastery of such dogs in the harsh Pilbara landscape of NW Western Australia.
The resilience of the dogs she has trained and loved reflect the incredible bond humans can share with their animals - if you are a dog lover, the account certainly resonates with you even more so.
Having travelled sections of this geographic area some years ago, I could definitely appreciate the challenges of extreme heat, extended drought, injuries to cattle and of course working dogs.
This was a Christmas gift from my husband and it proved to be an excellent choice that I myself might not have made and that would have been my misfortune.
The resilience of the dogs she has trained and loved reflect the incredible bond humans can share with their animals - if you are a dog lover, the account certainly resonates with you even more so.
Having travelled sections of this geographic area some years ago, I could definitely appreciate the challenges of extreme heat, extended drought, injuries to cattle and of course working dogs.
This was a Christmas gift from my husband and it proved to be an excellent choice that I myself might not have made and that would have been my misfortune.
March 20, 2022
Just about training dogs :D
December 31, 2021
I've been following along with Teesh and her dogs online at @pilbaraworkingdogs and was so excited to see she had written a book - even more excited to see it on display at my favourite Dymocks in Bendigo. I had to buy it straight away.
For a first-time author, this was such an enjoyable reading experience. It definitely helps and you can definitely tell the difference when someone who wants to write about their life is a reader. Her voice felt true and authentic and the words flowed smoothly and uncluttered. I have often griped about reading non-fic/memoir/biography that doesn't read well, but there was none of that here.
Teesh takes us through growing up on the land, how she got into using a team of working dogs, her management of the station and the changes she and her brother are implementing for regenerative grazing. But of course, we are here for the dogs. We get an insight into her methods, raising, training and further breeding of quality working dog lines. I was also really interested to read about her venturing into using guardian dogs. Teesh has a real common sense quality to her dog raising and training and it's one I definitely appreciate! I train a whole different type of working dog and it was interesting to see where we overlapped in philosophy. I would love to pick her brain! Although I do agree with her, our dogs do tend to train us most of the time.
And we love them for it. Even if you're not a dog trainer, you will enjoy this read!
For a first-time author, this was such an enjoyable reading experience. It definitely helps and you can definitely tell the difference when someone who wants to write about their life is a reader. Her voice felt true and authentic and the words flowed smoothly and uncluttered. I have often griped about reading non-fic/memoir/biography that doesn't read well, but there was none of that here.
Teesh takes us through growing up on the land, how she got into using a team of working dogs, her management of the station and the changes she and her brother are implementing for regenerative grazing. But of course, we are here for the dogs. We get an insight into her methods, raising, training and further breeding of quality working dog lines. I was also really interested to read about her venturing into using guardian dogs. Teesh has a real common sense quality to her dog raising and training and it's one I definitely appreciate! I train a whole different type of working dog and it was interesting to see where we overlapped in philosophy. I would love to pick her brain! Although I do agree with her, our dogs do tend to train us most of the time.
And we love them for it. Even if you're not a dog trainer, you will enjoy this read!
January 27, 2024
What a fantastic book!
*Spoilers*
Chapter one detailed a bit of what it was like growing up on property - Distance Education, going barefoot as much as possible, preferring a menagerie or books to human company, the isolation you don't really realise until you go away, boarding school - and I thought to myself as I was listening, "she *gets* it!" I've never really related to a book quite so heavily as I did in chapter one, and even when I was crying I was still loving the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the read, and loved learning about Aticia's journey into working dogs and property management. There's a pretty high chance I'll relisten to this on another run in the future, as well as getting a physical copy for my bookshelves.
*Spoilers*
Chapter one detailed a bit of what it was like growing up on property - Distance Education, going barefoot as much as possible, preferring a menagerie or books to human company, the isolation you don't really realise until you go away, boarding school - and I thought to myself as I was listening, "she *gets* it!" I've never really related to a book quite so heavily as I did in chapter one, and even when I was crying I was still loving the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the read, and loved learning about Aticia's journey into working dogs and property management. There's a pretty high chance I'll relisten to this on another run in the future, as well as getting a physical copy for my bookshelves.
March 26, 2022
Found this really interesting, what is behind training working dog. Grew up with working dogs around me & have watched dogs trialing in Australia & overseas. This experience was mainly with sheep. This book is on working with cattle. Amazing what they can do. This book also looks at station & livestock management. The loss of these valuable dogs happens all too often and is just part of station life. Northern Australia brings even more challenges. The book encourages the importance of education for the human, the dog & the beast being herded & managed,
May 13, 2022
This magnificent book is inspirational. Written well, with love, devotion and commitment, the author brings to the attention of the reader the life in a part of Australia that few know and understand. The Muster Dogs documentary takes up only a small section of this book; the majority being the author’s life with her beautiful dogs and the recognition of how they assist her on the land and her responsibility of protecting it. I just hope the author finds time in her busy schedule to write more books! I was so sorry to finish it.
January 28, 2024
An interesting insight into one woman's journey to using working dogs in her work in rural Australia. The author writes functionally but well and the "narrative" did not drag.
While a lot of people's focus will be on the chapters about the show (and these were interesting), I more enjoyed the humility of the author when she details her learnings in working with her dogs - without fail, the author was able to recognise what she had done that prevented her dogs from doing the job.
Definitely recommend for all.
While a lot of people's focus will be on the chapters about the show (and these were interesting), I more enjoyed the humility of the author when she details her learnings in working with her dogs - without fail, the author was able to recognise what she had done that prevented her dogs from doing the job.
Definitely recommend for all.
December 27, 2021
I will admit I am biased in my review here as I grew up on the land and we now have two farm-failure Kelpies as part of our family.
I really enjoyed reading of the role of the dogs as the catalyst for change in how cattle are handled on the Station. It’s tough country in the Pilbara and dealing with feral and scrub cattle makes it tougher still.
An excellent book by a first time author,
I really enjoyed reading of the role of the dogs as the catalyst for change in how cattle are handled on the Station. It’s tough country in the Pilbara and dealing with feral and scrub cattle makes it tougher still.
An excellent book by a first time author,
February 1, 2022
Such a nice, simple reading: entertaining, very Australian and a small window to the world of the life of many farmers and people living outside the city. I recommend reading it after watching the whole show.
April 11, 2022
If you watched ABC’s Muster Dogs then you will enjoy Aticia’s book about her Pilbara working dogs. I found the setting and lifestyle of interest and her writing style was like having a yarn around a fire.
June 24, 2022
I really enjoyed this, essentially Aticia's autobiography and her journey with working dogs. Honest, down to earth and easy to read, it is also very relatable for those of us that don't live in her environment and only have dogs as pets.
August 25, 2022
Watched Muster Dogs on tv and really enjoyed reading more about working dogs and specific story of their role and background in the Pilbara and on this station.
Best wishes to you and the working dog team.
Best wishes to you and the working dog team.
September 27, 2022
This just ticked so many boxes for me:
* lots of funny anecdotes
* an insight into Station life
* an insight into working dogs
* an introduction to some of the regenerative principles they are working through
* very light and entertaining.
Well done, Aticia!
* lots of funny anecdotes
* an insight into Station life
* an insight into working dogs
* an introduction to some of the regenerative principles they are working through
* very light and entertaining.
Well done, Aticia!
March 30, 2024
Having watched the film of Muster dogs I was interested to see what the book was like. it goes into all different areas of looking after properties, lands, education & so much more. Recommend to anyone working with dogs - eg in Shelters.
April 3, 2024
Easy light read. I enjoyed hearing most of the stories/tales of the farm but her writing style annoyed me and her storytelling felt very repetitive. Over all a fun book, interesting to learn about station living.
January 15, 2026
An adventure to visit a life so unlike urban living. Difficult decisions, danger, joy and heartbreak for the hard working dogs and regenerative farming. Aticia bravely shared her mistakes and learnings.
December 29, 2021
I loved this book! Really well written, great work from a first time author.
January 25, 2022
Take a trip to another world - life on a rural property - great reading.
February 14, 2023
Loved it! Spent most of the time reading it with my own mischievous kelpies sitting at my feet.
February 21, 2023
Really enjoyed listening to your story. Loved the show too, so many experiences had.
August 9, 2023
This book is a wonderful read from start to finish.
January 27, 2024
Interesting
August 3, 2024
Very interesting read, and Kelpies are my favourite dog breed. Now I will watch the TV show.
February 27, 2024
A story of life hardship adventure and triumph in Northern Australia
Well worth reading, if only to catch up to the Muster Dogs, however it’s far more than a story about the TV Series Muster Dogs. This is the story of life on a huge Cattle Station in Australia where the Author and her family carry on the family tradition of running a huge cattle property with the help of their well loved and trained Dogs. There is much to be learnt from the book, wish I was a Farm kid again (Paddy’s wife)
Well worth reading, if only to catch up to the Muster Dogs, however it’s far more than a story about the TV Series Muster Dogs. This is the story of life on a huge Cattle Station in Australia where the Author and her family carry on the family tradition of running a huge cattle property with the help of their well loved and trained Dogs. There is much to be learnt from the book, wish I was a Farm kid again (Paddy’s wife)
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