December 2025
Well, that’s the year that was! Writing this on New Year’s Day, 2026.
As you get older it’s more of a time for reflection and of wondering how many more useful ones you have left in you. No-one knows, of course, and therein lies hope! All the wonderful medical breakthroughs that can predict your future health failings? Would you want to know what lies ahead? Personally, I think ignorance is bliss. The last few months have been extremely testing for Emma, largely thanks to the failings of the Queensland Health (dis)service. Sincere prayers for a successful solution to her situation in the coming weeks and months. As Graeme Connors sings on his most recent albumn
“Nothing comes easy, nothing worthwhile, anything that matters, going to take a good time.”
And that applies to most things in life, breeding good dogs included. A constant through Em’s troubles have been the dogs and in particular young Holdem, who is particularly attached to her. Lovely to see his work is just as good as we hoped it would be when he started.
Em and Holdem 12:25 <click for vids > 11 Holdem on cattle with Campfire
Although he’s at that gangly, unattractive stage at barely 12 mths Holdem’s looks go up a few gears when he’s working! Below are 2 pix of him and the bottom one is of his full sister Double Down(Dee). We’re hoping she works just like her big bro! 
December has been busy with most of the last litters heading off to their new homes. Sass is due on Jan.4 to Breezebend Brad and Tilly a week or so later…so the cycle continues. I’m very happy with the way it’s so easy to match pups up with buyers if I keep them a little longer. Pix below…on arrival and in transit!
I’m lucky that most need to go on transport so I don’t have many buyers coming here and choosing what I think might be a less suitable pup. It was lucky that this happened recently and I was proven wrong though, so fate steps in sometimes! I’d forgotten that the first boy these lovely people had bought was their only dog and had to start working cattle solo; it didn’t help his confidence but the second pup they got certainly did. Having recently lost her and wanting a replacement they chose a more active/confident pup than I’d picked out… so all was well, and of course pups settle quickly when away from their siblings. She certainly made herself at home quickly(pic below)!
All the Gundee pups have GU names, meet Gucci!
In view of the white markings in the Min litter by Riana Gundee we decided to buy a couple of pups from the Antree Larry x Riana Braid litter which had avoided them. Riana Banker came out on top of the Homoz. for that litter, Larry is by Wills from Bamba Ginny so it’s likely to fit in seamlessly if we use one later on. When I heard Michael Croft had missed when mating Charlie to Wills I offered him the bitch pup as she has lines going back to Falcon kelpies which he knows well. The dog pup we named Anntre Trev after his breeder and expect great things from him in the future! Lovely pup with a strong head and dark eyes.
I sold a nice pup to John Lindsay a few years ago, Karmala Minx. She was my pick of the litter but another little bitch got trodden on and one back leg was dislocated at about 2 weeks. I nearly put her down but didn’t. The leg seemed to repair itself but I couldn’t sell her, she grew into Minmin. John kept in touch and was very happy with his Minx, he sent me videos of her development working sheep. A few years later he bought another pup, Rosebank Wally, who had a couple of Karmalas in his pedigree. He also developed nicely under John’s patient handling and when he had three dog pups to sell recently I decided to give the one most like Minx a try. He’s named Rydal Mace after John’s g’son Mason. I’m very happy with him, he’s a happy little chappy. Time and work will tell if he’s sire material.
You will have gathered by now that I like to keep trickling a few new genes into the mix. Those breeders who think they have the best dogs ever will find it very hard to improve their dogs as they just breed around in a circle with no opportunity to improve any weakness.
I was thrilled to be offered a nice bitch pup by Grant Hutchings from his lovely bitch Eventine Buzi by a dog I sold years ago and had forgotten about. Buzi had been here to be mated to old Digby who proved infertile and she impressed as one of the nicest Comet progeny I’d met. Grant had a flash of inspiration/desperation and took her to Karmala Rajah(K.Harvey x K.Remy) who had been working cattle in the district. It turned out to be a great idea as he kept three pups from the mating and I was lucky enough to get one to run on. She arrived on Christmas Eve with my yummy ham and sang Carols all night with Anntre Peach so I called her Carol but she’s since redeemed herself and is Caro!
So…back to the mundane. December was also a month of injuries and nursing, to say nothing of a big vet bill!
Wills chipped a tiny bit of bone in a front foot and went very lame; his diagonal ACL went wobbly with the extra work and he was very miserable for a couple of weeks. Well on the mend now but he has no idea of resting and has had to be in his kennel or tied up…
Sun managed to block her small intestine with a chunk of c..p, the only good thing about that was Em having an appt. in town next day, Monday, so she got a ride down and went straight into REDVETS Toowoomba on Sunday afternoon. I was very impressed with her care and the staff there but not with the bill!! She recovered rapidly and is back to her lovely silly self!
As we face a new year I wish you all good health so you are able to fully enjoy all the good things it brings your way. My sincere thanks to the fellow kelpie breeders and workers of them who took time out over the past week to have a good yarn and exchange knowledge and ideas. I so appreciate their willingness to share their wisdom and experience… all grist to the mill when making decisions about matings that I find invaluable.
Here’s to more good dogs and good work in 2026! Can’t wait to see this crew switch on!
Valli(Jack x Vamp)
Caro(RajahxBuzi
Mace
Guy(GundeexMin)
Dee(JackxClover)
