I rescued her from the pound. I was listening to the radio and I heard they had a great dane at the Echuca Pound. I went over and had a look, and her personality made me take her home. I got her as a mature dog 12 months ago.

How old is she?

She is six years old.

Why did you want a great dane?

I have always wanted one and Kyra is the first one I have ever had. She has a very placid nature and she has been an easy dog to train.

What sort of dog is Kyra?

She is highly intelligent and very obedient. She is mindful of what is going on around the place. She stays out of the way when she has to. It is hard to imagine her as a town dog in a small yard, she has really taken to country life.

How does Kyra's working day pan out?

On a typical day she reluctantly gets out of bed at 3.45 am and waits at the dairy while the real working dog, Harry, comes to the forefront. She has a bit of a rest, and then at the end of milking she likes to oversee the calf feeding.

When we collect the newborn calves she likes to follow behind the trailer, annoying us more than the calves. She then has a bit of brekky and then follows Harry around for the rest of the day for moral support.

Tell me about Harry.

Harry is just owned by the farm. He has been here for 14 years. He is just part of the furniture and he runs on auto-pilot. When someone gets the cows up, he just goes along and does his job.

How do Kyra and Harry get along?

They are good friends. Harry found her annoying at the start but now they both sleep together on the dog bed at the cow shed. Kyra has also taken a liking to one of the stray cats at the dairy called Magpie and she lets her sleep curled up next to her.

Does Kyra have any funny habits?

She likes to keep herself very clean. She doesn't like walking in mud and she will walk around any that gets in her way.

Being a big dog, does she eat much?

Great danes are actually finicky eaters and I reckon the kelpie would eat more than her.

Words and pictures:

Sophie Bruns