'SPIDER', from Badgebup in the Great Southern, has won the illustrious title of 2021 WA Farm Dog of the Year.
Dog owners from all over regional WA sent in video or still images of their lovable pooches in action, sharing what their four-legged friends meant to them and their daily lives on the farm.
The difficult decision required a three-person judging panel to sift through the overwhelming amount of applications.
Spider belongs to Kate and Richard Marshall and is their working Border collie sheep dog.
In 2020 he was involved in a motorcycle accident, losing a leg as a result, but having three legs hasn't slowed him down.
"Spider is full of character, enthusiasm and has a zest for life," Mr Marshall said.
"He adores sheep work, checking crops in the ute and all his farm work.
"When on holidays with his family at Peaceful Bay, he loves stand up paddle boarding and spending time with the locals.
"He is the most loved, capable, reliable and honest sheepdog you will ever meet, everyone has a spot in their heart for Spider."
The competition was started three years ago in 2019 by Perth Marketing and Media agency, Media 365, Plum Grove and GWN7 and has grow exponentially since then.
"We were overwhelmed this time around with the number of dogs which were entered in the competition," said Media 365 director Bruce Filing.
"We had hundreds of applications, tripling the number of entrants in three years, it's become so popular.
"It's embedded itself in the calendar, the farmers come to expect it."
Mr Filing said they pitched the idea to develop a positive news angle.
"The farmers just love their workings dogs, so its a good opportunity for them to showcase their dog and say thank you," he said.
"It's great to recognise the work that the dog does because they do so much on the property."
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