This past Friday a working dog day for rural and regional residents of the Snowy Monaro and their canine helpers was held in Bredbo, as part of Snowy Monaro Regional Council's community recovery efforts and Australian Red Cross's 'Let's Talk' program.
Hosted by renowned trainer Gary White from White's Kelpie Stud, the working dog school took participants through the entire process - from how to pick the right dog for the job, through an exhaustive multi-stage training progression - to end up with a world-class doggy employee and business partner.
While the education and training may have had top-billing, for Gary and many of the attendees, bringing people together for community and conversation is even more important. Through COVID, drought, fires and floods - coupled with the everyday challenges of living on the land - the social lives and mental health of many rural people have been hard-hit in recent years.
That's why the Australia Red Cross program 'Let's Talk' is supporting programs like Mr. White's working dog school - Gary has led many such events across the country and around the world, and the day out brings communities together to talk and connect.
"Whether keeping the backyard chicken coup safe from foxes, guarding the flock against predators, or just being a friend and companion in a life on the land - dogs are a vital and treasured part of life in our region," said Mayor Peter Beer, Snowy Monaro Regional Council.
"We are very grateful to the Australian Red Cross and Gary White for not only helping our region's farmers build better working relationships with their dogs, but for helping to bring our community together and reconnect after difficult and isolating times."
More events as a part of Council's ongoing community recovery efforts are coming up and Snowy Monaro residents are encouraged to get involved:
• Lady Tradie Day - Colinton - 22 May 2021
• Senior's Get Ready - Cooma, Jindabyne and Bombala - 24, 25 and 26 May 2021
• Frontier Services Bumbalong Rebuilding - 27 May 2021
• Inner Peace Project - Jindabyne, Cooma and Bombala - 29 May, 5 June and 29 June 2021
Council extends special thanks to John Perry for hosting, catering, and spinning a good yarn.
