Winnie came to us from our first litter. We had hoped to keep a brindle male and a fawn bitch, but all the girls were brindles and so we picked Winnie.

She is a beautiful moving, big brindle girl with a wonderful disposition. She teaches all of the others their manners. Always gentle to a point, but never letting the youngsters get away with anything. She loves to idle away her days on the lounge, not giving up her spot for anyone! She can rumble with the youngsters, often instigating play and charging off across the paddock, only to come back and sleep for hours, gently snoring.

Winnie is the best watchdog we’ve got. Whilst everyone else is sound asleep on the verandah, she will let us know when strangers pull up in the driveway, or at 6am on Sunday mornings when the hot-air balloons go overhead, she lets us know they are there and she’s not happy about it!

She’s great with kids, always approaching slowly and nuzzling them gently for a pat, and if that doesn’t have the desired effect, then a big lick up the side of the face comes next. Always gentle, just don’t go near her with the nail clippers!

Winnie has produced some lovely pups for us, two of which we have kept, Phoebe and Prada. She is an excellent mum, still cleaning the ears out of her two daughters and licking any excess slobber form their mouths, despite them now being fully grown.

In the show ring she has been a winner too, with some excellent results under her belt. Consistently placing in the top 3 in her class at Specialty Shows. Now retired and living the good life, spoilt rotten as she deserves to be.

Winnie celebrated her 10th birthday on the 13th June 2012, what a major milestone! She looks great for her age, despite the grey hairs accumulating, and still goes for walks every second day, albeit it a bit slower now. She never wants to miss out and is the first one at the door, ready to go. She still loves to play with the youngsters, and chase the cows! Then the rest of the day is spent lying in the sun, or inside in front of the fire, on the beanbag, or her favourite spot, the lounge. We’ve met many people that didn’t really like the brindles, but that was before they met Winnie, she made sure she changed their minds! We treasure every day, she is such a special girl.

Our beautiful Winnie passed away at almost 11 & 1/2 years of age. A real sweetheart, and a beautiful soul, she will be forever missed by us all. RIP gorgeous girl xx