The bond between central Queensland grazier Frank Finger and his beloved kelpie working dog, Annie, remains stronger than ever after the pair stole hearts in ABC TV's Muster Dogs series.
"She'll always be special," he says.
True to his earnest country style, Mr Finger played the captivating victory down.
"I would say that rather than a winner, Annie finished up being the outstanding dog.
"The five of us were winners to be selected to go on it."
A history of muster dogs
The show follows five graziers from across Australia, each of whom has been given a kelpie puppy from the same litter to train into a working muster dog in 12 months. Trainers say it can take three years to fully train a working dog.
Mr Finger first took an interest in using dogs for cattle after inviting renowned trainers Neil and Helen McDonald around for a short course in 1996.
"That's when I first saw them working [cattle] and I just thought then, well, I wanted to do this," he says.
"It seemed a massive task but I chipped away for years and got it going."
The third-generation farmer runs cattle in Clermont, central Queensland.
"We have a lot of rough country and that's one of the reasons we went into dogs," he says.
"I thought it was impossible to get a dog working in 12 months.
"I just wish that my father and mother could see."
Why Annie is so special
After careful consideration, Mr Finger named his pup after his late mother Annie.
"We always had a close connection," he says.
"She taught me to cook and garden — she was a really good gardener, always had a beautiful vegetable garden."
Mr Finger says choosing a meaningful name is "one of the bonding secrets".
"It's got to be something that's special to you, and then you have that special tone in your voice and the dog picks up on that vibe," he says.
Mr Finger says his dogs are treated well but, for now, Annie is the most spoilt.
"I have an outside fireplace and I get a drum and fill it with bones, some meat, scraps and bits and pieces, rice and boil it up for them and just make it like a big soup stew type of thing," he says.
"For Annie, I cook up a special meal for her and she gets up onto the front veranda a bit more than the other dogs.
"I have to be the boss — you can't have a boss dog or one dog that's more pampered than the others but when you're training them you can."
Mr Finger explains how this works.
"When you're training them you can make them very special on their own, but when they become part of the team they've all got to be the same because they can pick up on favouritism," he says.
"I keep them separate while I'm training — once they're about 12 months old I let them join the others then they all eat together.
"It's just a way to bond.
"It's similar to raising a child — you change their nappies and they're your pride and joy and as they get older the favouritism [fades]."
Love from around the world
In an emotional final twist, fellow participant and sheep grazier Rob Tuncks gave up his pup Lucifer who had trouble working on sheep.
Mr Finger offered to train Lucifer with cattle instead.
"Rob runs a very nice sheep property and has some brilliant dogs," he said.
"Lucifer is part of the team, he's fitted in really well.
"We have that Bluetooth connection going."
Mr Finger has been overwhelmed by the response to the series.
"I just want to thank everybody that's been involved in Muster Dogs and all the locals and people from all over Australia," he says.
He compares his feelings to Glen Campbell's song Rhinestone Cowboy.
"I'm getting cards and letters from people I don't even know and offers over the phone," he says.
"I've got a lot of messages, it's amazing in today's world how a thing gets around pretty quickly and people have [heard of] it, even in Sweden."
Opportunities in agriculture
Beyond highlighting the value of working dogs, Mr Finger hopes his participation in the show encourages students to consider careers on the land.
"I think every high school student should take a week off and go to a property somewhere, or something to do with farming, and just see what happens," he says.
"Whether its cotton growing or vegetable growing or like we are in beef production — get a feel for it."
The Fingers have partnered with the local high school to offer a certificate course in agriculture.
"If someone is willing to give it a go, they need to learn these skills on how to work a pup — there are plenty of places looking for young people with these skills," he says.
Will there be litters of pups?
Mr Finger says it was a privilege to be on the show and Annie will remain an esteemed member of his crew.
"She won't be going anywhere," he says.
"People are asking, 'Will there be litters of pups?' When the time comes, we'll make that decision whether we do that.
"I'm not too interested in making money out of her because she's won.
"She'll just work like she would've normally and probably get a little bit of extra care than the others, but I'll do it when they can't notice it."
Watch Frank Finger and his beautiful dogs in the much-loved ABC TV Series Muster Dogs on ABC iview.
