MACI may not grow up to be a working sheep dog. She may not be destined to be a cattle dog either.
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But with a bit of time and effort, who knows? At the very least she will make a great pet.
The nine-week-old kelpie cross and her twin sister Josie are seeking homes and new lives after being dumped by their previous owner.
Maci and Josie are being temporarily housed at Miners Rest with Australian Working Dog Rescue Incorporated foster carer Nicole Avery.
Ms Avery says they are so adorable, she would have been tempted to keep them permanently if she did not already have a couple of dogs of her own.
“It is too early to know what they’d be like with livestock, but they’d both make lovely pets,” she explains.
“Maci and Josie were dumped at Lightning Ridge in New South Wales. AWDRI works with a lot of pounds, so when pounds come across dogs they think will be suitable, they get in touch with us.
“AWDRI asked me to take care of them. I’ve done a few puppies with them before in the past.
“There is a transport run down to Victoria and they’ve been here for five weeks.”
Ms Avery says Maci and Josie may be sisters, but they have very distinct personalities, and could be suited to a different owner.
“Maci is more independent.
She is more happy to go off and explore by herself in the yard. She rounds up my two older dogs, so she definitely has that kelpie instinct in her,” Ms Avery says.
“Josie, on the other hand, likes company and she likes to come up to my feet and be close to me.
“Maci has inherited the kelpie build, while Josie has a bit more of what the other breed crossed and will be a bigger dog. They’ll both suit people with a bigger yard and people who will take them on daily walks, but Josie is quieter.”
Ms Avery says pups tend to find permanent homes relatively easily but, because of AWDRI’s reputation, most dogs find settlement.
Australian Working Dog Rescue was founded by Di and Carey Edwards and is a non-profit group which works to save working breed dogs from being euthanased in council pounds and shelters, and find them new homes.
The AWDRI register includes: border collies, kelpies, koolies, Australian cattle dogs and stumpy tail cattle dogs.
Each mature dog is available for $300, desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and having started a monthly regime of heartworm and intestinal worming medicine.
Puppies usually cost $350 due to the extra vaccinations needed.
