Home Topics Wildlife It’s a dog’s life in the dust

It’s a dog’s life in the dust

Doggone dusty after a day's work in central western NSW. Image credit: Helen Carpenter

Dusk in the Warraderry Valley, near Grenfell central western NSW, is play time for kelpies Billy and Roxie, BB the cattle dog and fox terrier Snowy.

Kicking up a dust cloud in the late afternoon glow, this happy pack were photographed by their owner Helen Carpenter.

“Our place is a lifestyle block, it’s only 250 acres,” Helen says. “We lease our main paddock for cropping wheat and canola, and we run dorpers [a hardy resilient South African breed of sheep that can withstand various harsh climates and environments] and a few crossbreds. Our pups are working dogs, but when the work’s done it’s playtime.”

While Helen says her slice of NSW is classed as a safe area, they did “feel the touches of the drought with dams drying up and having to feed livestock. We’ve also been hit by the mice plaque, but not as badly as places further north and west.”

With their working day done – sheep rounded up, mice chased and canola fields monitored – it’s no wonder these busy lads enjoyed cutting loose in the glorious late afternoon light.

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