Twenty years ago, my partner and I and my wolfhound travelled by car to a sheep station in Walgett, to wreck a classic ford to add to our collection. We were met by about 10 huge men, who proceeded to, and continued to, ignore me totally. There was drinking of litres of Coca Cola, and talking with my partner, who was originally from the outback. After several hours of not a single look or word in my direction. I went outside and wandered around with the wolfhound, who occasionally yelped with pain as she trod on the huge cat’s head ‘prickles’ that make life out there just that much harder for animals. Were we alone on the set of a grim western?  Eventually a ‘girlfriend’ arrived and asked if I would like to meet all the working dogs.

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We started with the kelpie and kelpie X puppies. One of the puppies was quiet and not moving much, and had crusty eyes. I asked what had happened. I was told he had been an award-winning puppy, but something had happened to him in the back of a ute.

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I picked him up. His back felt rigid. “His back is out, and a rib”, I said. “That is most likely the problem”.

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The rib was probably causing pain, so he was keeping still, breathing shallowly.

 I adjusted his back, and he turned his little head around and gave me one of those inevitable kelpie smiles.

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I walked back to the house with my dog and decided I would leave the next day. Not used to feeling invisible. Depressing. Went to bed at 6pm!

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The next morning I was woken by the door being thrown open enthusiastically. There were several huge men framed there in the opening .  One of them was holding a tray full of food-------orange juice , bacon and eggs, toast. There was also a small vase of quickly gathered ‘flowers’!

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The puppy was apparently bouncing around---his old self. Dogs usually respond very quickly to body work.

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I was almost hurried through my breakfast------they were eager to take me on a tour around the 17 adult working dogs, to get my opinion!

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Seventeen different personalities: from Banjo who spent all day lying is a tin baby’s bath full of brown bore water to keep cool, his paw hanging over the side; to Coco, a brown kelpie who had been stood on by a sheep and had been unable to fall pregnant since. Her hair was dry and spiky.  The day after the treatment  her hair was laying flat and shiny.

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The next day, neighbours came over with their working dogs!

And then the huge men asked me to work on them!

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 I said ‘no’. [They were seriously big!]

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And then…….they asked if they could set me up with a clinic in Walgett, to treat the dogs .

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I said ‘no’. [No offence to the people of Walgett…..I have never lived more than 20 kms from the sea!]

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And then: ”Could we fly you out here once a month?”

I said ‘no’. [I hate flying.]

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“Can we fly dogs out to you?” What ???!!

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In the end I suggested that they ask the local vet to do an osteo animal course.

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And they did!!

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