my animals
Whether you know me personally or follow me on socials, you would've figured out my animals mean the world to me and I use any opportunity to share them. So of course they had to have their own place on here, too.
Drover
Drover is an Australian Cattle Dog and the first animal my husband and I got as a couple. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with elbow dysplacia as a puppy, but with surgery and a special diet along with monitored exercise (have you ever tried to tell a working dog to take it easy?), he lives mostly comfortable. Not that Drover is the type of dog to let you know he's in pain. Drover once sliced off one of his toes overnight (we never found out how - or his missing toe!) and my husband and I didn't notice until we found trails of blood because Drover was wanting us to throw the ball for him as soon as we woke up!
Boss
Boss is an Australian Shepherd and the middle child of our dogs. I purchased him as a gift for my husband after we lost our late dog, Aussie, but over time he and I have developed a strong bond (one that strengthened thanks to him being my doula during our daughter's newborn midnight feeds!). Boss is a very gentle, sensitive and trustworthy dog. Not only is he a constant shadow to me, but a patient babysitter to our young daughter. I try not to have "favourites" of our animals but he's very special to me. Boss is a bobtail shepherd and we call his tail his "nub nub".
Banjo
Banjo is an Australian Cattle Dog x Border Collie who we purchased on a whim from an online ad. And boy, have we paid the consequences. Banjo is (and I promise I say this with love) an arsehole. You name it and he's ate it (books, chicken drumsticks from the oven, brownies that were cooling on the bench). I'm sure there's a tiger shark in his bloodline somewhere because of all the things he's ate not once has it made him sick. He's the typical youngest child who always has to nudge his brothers away to steal the attention. He pees in his brother's bowls. We train and discpline him for the same things over and over, only for him to do it again. Banjo is often referred to as "Satan's Spawn".
Boots
Boots is a Highland Coo, who was a surprise gift from my husband. Although I'm not sure if cow was what I needed with a three month old baby at the time. Especially when (since he'd been weaned straight off his mum when he came home with us) he was constantly escaping looking for her. The amount of phone calls we got from the neighbours during the first few days we had him was insane. We love our fluffy cow though, who isn't hard to miss amongst the cattle we raise for beef. Boots is the inspiration behind Emma Callaghan's pet cow, Sir Percival, in Right As Rain.
Lenny & Benny
While Lenny and Benny aren't the most exciting animals on our farm, I enjoy feeding them each morning while I wait for the horses' feeds to soak. They're a lop-eared breed and are brothers.
in loving memory
Aussie
2020 - 2021
Aussie was my husband's first dog, an Australian Shepherd, who we lost not long after his first birthday in tragic circumstances. Aussie was from the same breeder as Boss. Aussie's dad is Boss's grandad. Aussie can never be replaced, but it brings a tiny piece of comfort that Boss carries a part of Aussie in him. Aussie was everything a dog is imagined to be with his gentle and happy-go-lucky attitude. He was Drover's best friend, the only dog Drover ever truly tolerated and it broke our hearts to watch him grieve with us. Although the pain isn't as raw as it once was, we will always miss him.
Sana
1998 - 2026
Sana had been in my life for 15 years and I owe everything that makes me who I am today to her. In January 2026, I had to make the awful decision to put her down peacefully when she was diagnosed with a heart murmur that was the cause of her declining health. The Australian Stock Horse mare and I didn't gel at the start, and while most people would cut their losses and sell the horse on to a more suitable owner, we persevered. And I'm so glad we did. Sana took an anxious little 13 year old girl and nurtured her into the confident (although still nervous!) woman she is today. Sana was with me through so many of my life's milestones, it's hard to fathom that she won't be physically by my side for any more. A part of Sana is in every horse I write about in my stories and was the horse who introduced me to the "western" style of riding. So if you love my cowboy romances, don't thank me, thank Sana, because I owe it all to her.