Two children riding a medium-sized golden-brown dog in an open grassy field with fencing and dirt path, spring or summer daylight. 1:30
Eaglehawk Angus channel icon Eaglehawk AngusOriginal creator 60K views Save

Cattle dogs with tiny cowboys on their backs

In Kings Plains Valley, in New South Wales, the cattle dogs head out to work like any other day. This time they have riders. more

The dogs work for Eaglehawk Innes, a family-owned cattle breeder in this corner of Australia, and herding is their daily job. The team there decided the day needed some fun. So they fastened tiny cowboy dolls onto the dogs' backs and sent them off on their usual rounds.

Two dogs run through tall grass with small cowboy figures on their backs, one figure wearing a yellow hat. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Two cattle dogs set off through the tall grass, each carrying a tiny cowboy.

The dogs set off through the long grass. One rider wears a yellow hat. The little cowboys rock and bounce in rhythm with every stride, which makes them look very busy for riders who are not doing anything at all.

The soundtrack keeps insisting that "somebody's got to be unafraid to lead." The cowboys are out in front, at least. The dogs are doing all the work.

A small figure rides on a dog's back through tall grass, with trees in the background. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
A small rider stays aboard as a dog moves through the long grass near the trees.

Then there are the cattle. To the herd, these are strangers on the property, riding in on the backs of the dogs. The cows don't know what to make of their new visitors.

Two children riding a medium-sized golden-brown dog in an open grassy field with fencing and dirt path, spring or summer daylight. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
In Kings Plains Valley, in New South Wales, the cattle dogs head out to work like any other day.

One dog runs on through the tall grass with a small rider still on board. The job is the same as always. The cowboys just make it look more official.

A dog runs through tall grass with a small toy rider fastened on top. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
A dog keeps running through the tall grass, the toy rider still fastened on.

It was the staff's idea of a break from the usual routine, and it worked on the humans, anyway. The dogs do the herding and the cowboys do the riding. One fan has a name for the crew, the Dogboys.