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A four-year-old Maremma is very comfortable looking after her feathered friends.

Lexie, the rescued kelpie cross is more a lifestyle farmer than a working farmer.

Violet Town’s James Fowler, by his own admission, ‘‘lives for farming’’. As well as running his own 1200 Merino ewes, he works as a contractor for several other people, looking after ‘‘thousands and thousands’’ of sheep. His two dogs are his right (and left) hand men and have been known almost to die for the cause; James couldn’t do his job without them.

Denzel the Smithfield heeler has a country job and a city house for relaxing.

Border collie Johnno loves the motorbike but gets out of control when he heads into town.

Naring’s youngest farmer, Hamish Morris, 10, uses an unusual breed of dog to work his paddock of cows.

Dusty McPhee has some reliable four footed friends on her Lurg property.

Andrew and Rebecca Phillips, of Naring, claim they’re dairy farmers, but menagerie masters might be a more accurate description. With a couple of hundred cows, guinea pigs, horses, dogs, cats and, of course, the kids it’s a wonder any work gets done at all.

Stuart and Wendy Rowsell have always had a dog that could work sheep, so when they got Rza (pronounced Riza) he wasn’t exactly what they were looking for. He may have come by default, but he couldn’t be more loved. His ability to work sheep is questionable, according to Stuart, but he is very good at racing the motorbike and still likes to tag along when sheep work is on the agenda.

Nine years ago Shepparton artificial insemination technician Neil Warnett bought his wife Leonie a birthday present. That year it wasn’t a new lawnmower, but a Labrador puppy.