Breed: Australian Kelpie
Date of birth: 27/08/2022
Gender: Male
Neck circumference: 40cm
Chest circumference: 64cm
Base of neck to base of tail: 60cm
Height to shoulder: 55cm
Weight: 20kg

General Description

A frisbee in the air is the quickest way to understand Milo. He tracks it, reads the arc and takes it clean out of the sky, and that same athletic intelligence runs through everything else he does. His smoky blue coat is an uncommon dilute shade that gives him a cool, slightly wolfish elegance quite unlike the usual red or black kelpie, and it photographs with real depth in natural light. Confident, sharp and genuinely funny in his own opinionated way, he settles into new company easily once introductions have been made.

The kelpie was built for the Australian outback, developed from Scottish collie-type dogs imported in the 1870s and bred hard for stamina in punishing heat across stations far too vast for any shepherd on foot. The breed takes its name from a single bitch called Kelpie, herself named after the shape-shifting water spirit of Scottish folklore, whose descendants swept the early Australian sheepdog trials and gave the type its identity. Kelpies are famous for “backing”, running lightly across the packed backs of penned sheep to reach the far side, which tells you everything about their nerve and surefootedness. British audiences know the breed best through Koko, who carried the title role in the Australian film Red Dog.

Milo is agility trained, distraction proof and holds his recall even with plenty going on around him. He works off lead, keeps consistent eye contact, takes direction from hand signals rather than needing a voice, stays patient through long days and is unruffled by loud noise. He is relaxed with other animals, comfortable being groomed and handled by strangers and travels well. Two things to note for the diary: he objects to the hoover and the garden hose, and will try to take on both.

Milo is an athlete first. He clears obstacles, springs onto and over objects, leaps in and out of a vehicle, balances on things, rises onto his hind legs and walks upright, rolls over and drops flat with his head to the floor. Action sequences, chase scenes, sporting narratives and physical comedy all sit comfortably within his range, and his agility training means he takes an unfamiliar obstacle in his stride.

His precision is equally strong. He goes to a mark, halts on an emergency stop, holds a long stay, walks backwards, spins, pivots on the spot and travels around an object or a person on request. Send-away and strong distance recall give directors genuine scope for wide exteriors, particularly rural, farming and outback-flavoured settings where the breed belongs by right. He barks on cue, which is rarer than it sounds and invaluable for alert and warning beats, and he touches an object with nose or chin for storylines turning on a specific action. Add pushing a ball or an object, pulling a sock off a foot and a kiss on command, and there is plenty of comic material in there too.

Smoky blue is a striking, unusual tone that sits beautifully against slate, sand, weathered timber and muted outdoor palettes, giving art directors something visually distinctive rather than the expected black and white. Outdoor clothing, footwear and technical gear, rugged vehicle and adventure campaigns, dog sport equipment, harnesses and performance nutrition brands are all natural territory, and water work opens up coastal and riverside briefs.

He holds a pose and redirects his gaze to a point, a person or a mark, which is the core of any lifestyle shoot, and he works confidently at a distance so a photographer can compose wide without a handler in frame. He wears clothing and a muzzle without objection, making him suitable for coat, harness and equipment ranges. The frisbee work is his real calling card for motion photography: toy brands, dog sport retailers and anything needing a genuinely dynamic mid-air frame will get something exceptional from him. Puzzle-solving suits enrichment and interactive toy clients too.