As written by Tori
This story is both happy and sad. Sad because I will always miss Toby and Bruce, who have both crossed the rainbow bridge, but happy because the time I spent with them brought me so much joy and left me with many happy memories.
Dotty came to me in August 2021; a neighbour gave her to me. I took her on because she was having laminitic episodes; I intended to help her and then find her a more suitable home with small children. This was my plan anyway; I thought that because I didn’t have any children, I wouldn't have any use for such a small pony, but as time went on, I fell in love with Dotty and she stayed.
Toby came to me before that, in Christmas 2020. At the time, I was very busy with sheep work and only had one dog, Danny. A friend of mine kindly lent me Toby to help with the workload. Toby was around two years old, a trained and handy working dog. Having Toby as a part of my team made moving sheep around much faster and easier. It quickly became obvious that Toby was so much more than just a working dog.He had the quirkiest personality, and a love and enthusiasm for life.
I will forever remember the early mornings when Toby, Danny and I would leave home before daylight
to work at the sheep sales in Forbes. Toby was always overly excited. He would run and jump on the ute
tray with so much enthusiasm that he’d overshoot his jump - launching himself off the ground,
first landing on the tray and then all the way off the tray and over the other side of the ute!
Toby became my right-hand man - wherever I was, he was. He often slept inside on the bed and enjoyed
travelling on the passenger seat of the ute instead of on the ute tray.
One day, while I was feeding the horses, I was brushing Dotty with Toby by my side. Jokingly, I said to Toby, “Get up”, just as I would when asking him to jump on the ute. To my surprise, Toby jumped on Dotty’s back and just lay there.
That’s where it all started - the beginning of an unlikely friendship between a pony and a kelpie.
In my spare time, I would work with Toby and Dotty together.
I started writing a column for HorseWyse magazine called “The Adventures of Toby and Dotty”. I taught them tricks together and shared their journey and what they had learnt with HorseWyse readers.
Toby was by my side for a couple of years, until I moved house. I wasn’t working sheep as often, and I had five dogs. At this time, his owner was short of working dogs, with a few injured and a few retired. I could tell Toby missed working, and his owner needed him. I knew the right thing was for Toby to return home. Toby spent the next couple of years working sheep as he loved to do. I visited and gave him cuddles every so often. Unfortunately, due to illness, he passed away.
Toby and Dotty's friendship was rather unlikely, with Toby being a dog and Dotty a pony. I think it was also a little bit one-sided: Toby really liked Dotty and seemed to enjoy riding on her back, and Dotty mostly just tolerated having Toby around more than she sought his companionship.
Bruce was Toby’s son. He was born in 2021 and began coming everywhere with me once Toby had returned home. Bruce meant just as much to me as Toby did; he had a very similar personality and also enjoyed going for rides on Dotty.
In the time I had Bruce, my business started to scale up; I began teaching more clinics throughout NSW, ACT and VIC, all of which Bruce would attend with me.
Like his dad, Bruce was an excellent worker, but he also had a great “off” switch and was just as happy lazing around all day, soaking up attention from my students while I was teaching. Everyone knew and loved Bruce. He was one very special dog, almost more like a person.
Unfortunately, Bruce passed away at the beginning of 2026. I was shattered at the time, but I was with him until the very end. I did everything I could, but unfortunately couldn't save him.
Part of me feels he left to encourage me to go live my life and explore the world.
And Dawn, well, Dawn is Dotty’s daughter; she is part miniature gypsy cob and was born in February 2024. While Dawn missed out on being a riding pony for Bruce and Toby, I hope she becomes a great pony one day if I ever have children.
Every one of these four has been a very special part of my life and the reason for many great memories.
