A custom-built wheelchair allowed a special Kelpie named Ali to get back out working on the farm after an accident left her back legs paralysed earlier this year.
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And she and owner Paul Diamond have gone viral on TikTok for doing so.
Mr Diamond said he spent thousands of dollars on Ali's recovery, through various vet appointments, scans and interstate travel to have her wheelchair made.
"We knew she was never going to walk again, and we thought 'well shit, we've got to do something'," he said.
"We cruised to Adelaide, met this lady (from Handicapped Pets Australia) who was amazing and gave Ali a spice of life like no other, and from then to six months down the track now, she's used to her wheelchair and is fanging around with a new lease on life."
A video of Ali strapped into her wheelchair and mustering sheep for the first time since the incident has accumulated more than 1.7 million views and hundreds of thousands of likes on TikTok.
Ali encounters a couple of hurdles along the way, including her wheels getting stuck in bushes, but quick intervention from Mr Diamond has her back in action quickly.
Heartwarming global response
Mr Diamond said it was incredibly heartwarming to see the response from people all over the world on the video.
"I think she's still got not only the sentimental value of what she's done for me over the years, but also what she can still do - give hope," he said.
"She's in a bloody wheelchair fanging around a farm because she was given a chance.
"And we're all given a chance at life, and we can either just sit there and feel shit, or do something about our opportunities."
Mr Diamond said the investment spent on her recovery was nothing compared to the thousands of invaluable hours she had worked on his family's sheep and cattle operation at Goughs Bay.
"[She was] not only my first working dog, but an amazing dog, and I would be stuffed without her," he said.
"She was with me everyday and you bond with these creatures.
"I want people to know we really care about our animals.
"There's some awareness that we can create from this."
Ali was crushed between a sheep and a gate which compressed her spine and resulted in a slipped disc that bulged into her central nervous system, paralysing her back legs and causing her incontinence issues that the family managed.
"She was looking at me when it happened probably going 'there's nothing wrong with me, let's keep going', but I said to Ali 'we've got to go to the vet'," he said.
"She's always been so tough and resilient which that's just these Kelpies, it's in their DNA to just be so tough."
He said an alternative option to the wheelchair was a $12,000 surgery, but that didn't guarantee any long-term improvement.
"My missus said we've got to do something, she's the best dog and you've never paid her," he said.
"She's worked for me for five years and they're so invaluable these dogs, they're as good as three people some days, and they just do all the work for you."
Excitement turned into a cross-road
After the video went viral, there was a sad development to Ali's story.
Ali gnawed on her paralysed leg on Sunday night and in a very short period of time caused significant damage.
The Diamond family considered all of their options, including driving to Melbourne to get different opinions, but in the end made the difficult decision to euthanise her at home, surrounded by family, sheep and the farm.
"The excitement has turned into this cross-road and plot twist of this beautiful story," Mr Diamond said.
"We want to do 100 per cent what's right for that dog."
The viral video unintentionally captured one of her last runs in the paddock, doing one of the things she loved most in the world - mustering sheep.
Mr Diamond said she would "be in dog heaven back chasing sheep on all four of her legs".
"We've gone that extra six months, which she's had a wicked time, and I finally did something to show her to the world and they've responded amazingly," he said.
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Holly McGuinness
Holly is a journalist for Australian Community Media, covering South Coast, NSW. As a born and bred Shoalhaven local, she's passionate about covering community concerns and amplifying local voices. To get in contact, email holly.mcguinness@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Holly is a journalist for Australian Community Media, covering South Coast, NSW. As a born and bred Shoalhaven local, she's passionate about covering community concerns and amplifying local voices. To get in contact, email holly.mcguinness@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
