What do you get when you put two dogs, two cats and a galah together?
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The answer is: a whole lot of love.
That is the life of Toni Gough and her partner, Milton Carroll.
They are the proud owners of the Shepparton Equestrian Centre located in Kialla.
Along with her working horses, Ms Gough has for company a border collie kelpie cross called Layla, a border collie named Poppy, two cats called Sooty and Dude, and a galah known as Bert.
Poppy is the older of the two dogs and has called the equestrian centre home since 2015 when Ms Gough got her at six weeks old.
Though she has lived around horses almost her entire life, Poppy isn’t overly fond of them and would rather spend her time with Ms Gough’s partner as he works in the workshop.
A good time for Poppy is riding in the RTV or on the tractor.
Layla, on the other hand, gets along with the horses just fine.
She came to Ms Gough in March 2022 via the Shepparton pound.
“We had a friend that had her as a foster dog and was just looking after her as a puppy. And she recommended her because she knew I was looking for another dog to keep Poppy company,” Ms Gough said.
Layla is almost the polar opposite to Poppy, which has as much to do with age as personality.
“She's just a very happy little dog. Great nature and very, very trainable, very, very intelligent,” Ms Gough said.
Unlike her older ‘sister’, Layla often tries to lick the noses of the horses.
When Ms Gough is moving the horses about, Layla can often be found holding on to the end of the rope and doing what she thinks is her part.
Layla also has the quirk of sleeping with her legs up in the air whereas Poppy prefers to snooze under a table.
Layla also likes to occasionally decorate rooms with fluff from her stuffed toys.
“She's one that just loves to play with toys all the time,” Ms Gough said.
When together and especially when playing tug-of-war, Poppy prefers to be the dominant dog.
Despite the differences, Ms Gough said both had friendly, loving personalities.
“They're always happy to see you when you come home, even if you just go and get groceries and you come home and that's like you haven't seen them all day ... and they just love to be with you,” she said.
This friendly nature extends to strangers, and it isn’t uncommon for visitors to have the two dogs bounding towards them to investigate and greet them as they park their car.
If the dogs are a delight, Ms Gough and her partner are also blessed with two cats.
Sooty was a stray who decided to make the equestrian centre her home two years ago. It was in the hay shed that she gave birth to a litter of kittens.
Ms Gough’s second cat, Dude, is one of the offspring and the only one that remains, with Ms Gough having given away the others.
Sooty is a rather placid and easygoing animal, who does not mind interacting with the the two dogs.
“She loves Layla, especially,” Ms Gough said.
As for interacting with the horses, Sooty understandably likes to give them space, but there is mutual affection to be found.
“Occasionally, you know, she might rub up next to their leg, forgetting that that's a horse's leg,” Ms Gough said.
Sooty’s son Dude is more reserved.
The equestrian centre is also home to Bert the galah, who has lived at the equestrian centre for the past 35 years.
Another rescued animal, Bert loves to interact with both animals and people, and often imitates Ms Gough’s laughter.
A sort of Casanova at heart, Bert loves calling people ‘pretty’.
He also likes to give the horses commands.
“I couldn't work out why this little pony kept trotting at this specific spot ... he's (Bert) going ‘trot on, trot on’,” Ms Gough said.