There’s Basalt, Moss, Banana, Beans, Coach, Fancy, Pigeon, Coach and a brand-new pup called Daisy getting ready to join the pack and be trained up for life as a working dog in the grazing paddocks of the Spencer family holdings in the Central Highlands.
And then there’s Pockets – a Collie in Kelpie country with swagger and all the moves like Jagger.
Capella’s Renee Simpson reels off the names in her doggie menagerie with a laugh or two in between, as she adjusts to the spotlight trained on her through a starring role in series three of the cult ABC TV show Muster Dogs.
When they were introduced for the show, Renee was tempted to call Pockets another name like Hen, “something quite soft or nice”, but the well-placed fluffy white markings on the coat of this irresistible pup were something Renee couldn’t ignore.
“Yeah, she’s got little pockets on her behind and she’s gorgeous,” the 27-year-old, whose heart is firmly planted in the bush, said.
“I definitely live by the idea that the name’s got to match their personality, but also just be nice and happy.”
After introducing Clermont dog whisperer and Kelpie breeder Frank Finger to an adoring national audience in series one, Muster Dogs has Renee on team Collie as six graziers and trainers from across the country tackle the task of transforming their Kelpie and Collie pups in a year with only one breed coming out on top.
Renee admits she felt the pressure of having a ‘TV dog’ and tried to pamper Pockets, making the mistake of giving her a flash pet bed, which she promptly “made a bit of an artwork of it“.
“It’s definitely been a bit of a wild experience, having that steep learning curve on TV,” she said.
“But you know, I’m still happy with how she went, with how I went.
“I got involved because it is such a positive thing for the industry, and to be able to put my spin on it and what our family is doing.
“I am quite proud of what we’ve achieved with our stock education and our dog handling, and also with how we manage the land… we’ve still got a long way to go and we’re still learning a lot as an organic farmer.”
Renee is a fifth-generation cattle farmer and her family has two properties, one 20km from Capella and the other 80km west of Emerald.
The Spencers champion regenerative, time-controlled grazing through the use of smaller paddocks for their Brahman herds.
Renee’s passion admits Muster Dogs has been a voyage of self-discovery as much for herself as well as Pockets.
“I’ve met amazing people and had an amazing opportunity,” she said.
“I had to upskill myself pretty quick, I think, but yeah I did learn that I wasn’t the biggest fan of being on camera as I thought I would be.
“That was quite intense that eye contact and answering questions on the spot with a great big lens staring down at you.“
Renee took a stab at city living when she enrolled in a teaching degree at Brisbane’s Griffith University.
It wasn’t for her, despite living at the university’s Nathan campus, surrounded by native vegetation.
She lasted two years before high-tailing it back to the clean, crisp Capella air.
“I think what teachers do is amazing… I cannot respect them more (but) I didn’t see myself being happy doing it,“ Renee said.
“I think everything’s just going a bit too fast for me in the city and not being surrounded by nature has had quite an impact on me.
“I like running around… I like observing tings and looking at all the birds and interacting with all the animals and bugs and the soil.
“I wouldn’t mind in the future even going to do some contracting… take my dogs and see if anyone needs weaners breaking in.
“Next year, I think I’ll be trying to go out and expand my skill set away from home, so that’s all very exciting.
“And Pockets will be coming along all right.“
Renee knows there’s no answer that won’t instantly pit kelpie and collie lovers against one another in the kitchens and smoko rooms of working properties right around the nation when it comes to who is top dog.
“I’m a bit of a fan of the barbwire fence,” she said, acknowledging just how uncomfortable diplomacy can be.
“They both their place, I just reckon both of them have different skill sets.”
