Taking life on, paws and all
A NORTH Queensland grazier who regained her independence with the help of her working dogs will represent the state in the battle to find the hardest working pups.
Genine Jackson, a grazier based at Bodalla Station near Charters Towers, will represent the state in 2022 Cobber Challenge Relay, alongside her working dogs.
The challenge has in previous years showcased the efforts of individual working dogs, and brings together teams from both Australia and New Zealand.
But in the 2022 challenge, the spotlight will shine on the teamwork between owners and working dogs, and the effort that goes into running a farm.
Ms Jackson’s journey to taking part in the challenge has not been straightforward, but because of her experience she shares an extra special bond with her working dogs.
In 2020, Ms Jackson fell off a young horse, leaving her with three crushed vertebrae.
The injury left her facing an uncertain future, unsure if she could continue mustering brahman cattle on her family’s station.
But her working dogs, who are trained to take on a larger range of commands, helped return her independence.
As she recovered and learned to train dogs in a new way, she was gifted a dog named Turbo.
“Turbo is the dog that trained me, then trained my other dogs,” Ms Jackson said.
“Dogs have helped me accomplish much more than I ever thought I could.”
While Turbo has since passed away, Ms Jackson has named her team of two kelpies and a collie – Whiskey, Buck and Nick – in his memory.
The challenge’s new relay format is a nod to the work that is shared between farmers and their dogs, or that certain dogs are used to do different tasks such as mustering mobs of cattle or pushing sheep through yards.
The challenge will run for three weeks from Monday 22 August to Sunday 11 September, with the farmer selecting one of their nominated dogs to wear a GPS collar to track their progress.
The collar will track how far, fast and for how long the dog works.
After, the results will be combined to crown the winning team.