Ben Prendegast with Kenny, Wicker and Rossco. PICTURE: JEREMY BANNISTER
BEN Prendegast's three working dogs seem to have had their own run ins and accidents, but have bounced back and recovered quickly to keep working.
Kenny, the pure bred Kelpie, is the oldest of the three dogs at seven and a half years old.
"He's starting to tire out a bit, but he's still got a few years left in him," Mr Prendegast said.
"He'll sometimes sleep by the truck to make sure he doesn't miss a day of work."
Mr Prendegast said a truck dog's work is more intensive than other working dogs.
"You don't usually get as long of a working life from a truck dog as you would from a farm dog, it's a lot of hard work."
Mr Prendegast works in the transporting business, so his dogs mainly work moving cattle and sheep from yards onto trucks and back off again.
His star worker is his youngest dog, Wicker, a 12 month old Hunterway.
The breed isn't a common working dog in Australia, but Wicker's parents were imported from New Zealand.
"I really wanted a Hunterway and they're really good working dogs," Mr Prendegast said.
"She learnt really quickly what she needed to do, didn't take much training at all.
"I'm not a superstar trainer or anything, so she's turned out really well."
Wicker had an accident that has caused her to have a short tail.
"She came off the back of the ute and I ran over her tail, so it's a bit short now," he said.
Mr Prendegast said apart from his other dogs, he doesn't really get along with other dogs.
"These guys have to get on, they spend so much time together," he said.
Rossco, a Hunterway cross Kelpie, isn't the most social dog.
"He doesn't really like people that much, he doesn't even usually sit down for a pat, but he likes working and that's about it.
"It's pretty awkward when you're chatting to someone and he comes along and cocks his leg up at them."
Mr Prendegast said he's witnessed Rossco spraying on people around half a dozen times.
"I hope he works for a while though. He's had a few car accidents so he's cost me a bit of money."
Although the dogs aren't allowed up in the front of the truck, they make Mr Prendegast's job a lot easier.
"I couldn't do what I do without them, that's for sure. There'd be a lot more swearing and cursing involved at least."