Muscles & More

𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 -“Bubba”
27 April 2014 – 2 October 2026

How the hell do you put 12 years of a little dog like Midgie into words?

I don't think you really can.

She was one of those dogs you just had to know.

Quirky, cheeky, funny, full of s***k and completely and utterly Midgie.

And more than anything, that little dog loved to run.

If you only knew Midgie later in her life, you probably never got to see the little dog I knew for all those years.

Because Midgie ran.

She ran everywhere.

All she ever wanted to do was run and be with me.

She’d be 100 metres in front of me, flat knacker, doing whatever the hell Midgie was doing, but she always knew exactly where I was.

Because for all her independence and all her quirks, I was her whole world.

She liked a few people, but she only ever had eyes for me.

I was her person.

And she was my soul dog.

Bloody hell, what a privilege it was to be loved like that.

God, she was a funny little dog.

She looked like a puppy nearly her whole life, so everyone wanted to pat her. Midgie wasn’t interested. It was pretty much, “No thanks, I’ve got my mum.”

She’d tear off ahead of me on a walk, hide behind the ute or a tree and wait.

Then as I got closer she’d get down low and stalk me ever so slowly.

And I’d bloody forget she was doing it. Every time.

Then out she’d come, flat out at me, growling and carrying on as she hit me.

Not an angry growl. Not nasty.

It was her cheeky little “I GOT YA!” growl.

Then the little bu**er would tear off again.

God, she made me laugh.

She’d grab her bumper by the end so it stuck out of her mouth like a cigar, tap it along the ground and go round and round in circles with it.

One day in South Australia she did it with a leaf, going round and round chasing a leaf that was already in her own mouth until she was practically dizzy.

She had her little patterns and circuits that she did over and over.

She snapped at fairies in the air.

She noticed things the rest of us didn’t.

I once found her staring at the ground and wondered what the hell she was doing.

She was watching the tiniest little ant walking along.

Another time she stood staring into a baking tray with a little bit of water in it, completely captivated by the tiniest ripples moving across the water.

Years ago, some kids with autism used to come into work, and one day they said to me, “Janine, Midgie’s like us.”

I asked them what they meant.

They said, “She’s got doggytism.”

And you know what? In their beautiful little way, they understood something about her.

She was different.

She was an enigma.

And she was bloody wonderful.

And then there was food.

Midgie had been fighting for her tucker since the day she was born.

She was the tiniest pup in a litter of six, stuck amongst these big fat Buddhas, and I was forever making sure she got onto a b**b and got her share.

Well, apparently she never forgot it.

Food was serious business to Midgie.

If you gave her a treat, you could see her trying so hard to take it gently.

She’d slowly open her mouth and come towards your fingers ever so carefully...

And then at the very last second...

WHACK.

Gone.

Treat, fingers, possibly half your hand.

She drew blood on more people over the years than I care to remember.

I’d tell people, “Don’t feed her out of your hand.”

They’d feed her.

And then I’d hear, “OW!”

There was never any malice in her.

She just seemed completely incapable of judging that last little bit of distance between her mouth and whatever she desperately wanted.

Even today, she was still Midgie when it came to food.

One of the first things I ever taught her was tracking.

And bloody hell, could that little dog track.

I could walk around the property, go off spraying weeds or doing whatever I was doing, and hours later Midgie would put that nose down and follow every bloody step I had taken.

Everywhere I’d been, she had to know.

She would track me until she found exactly where I’d gone.

I suppose that was Midgie all over.

For all her independence, all her running 100 metres in front of me and doing her own thing, she always needed to know where I was.

She always found me.

The lead-up to today has been excruciatingly hard.

Mentally, she was still my Midgie.

But physically, her body just couldn’t keep up with her anymore.

She couldn’t do the thing she’d loved doing her whole life.

She couldn’t run.

And that wasn’t fair to her.

I didn’t want to wait until it became an emergency.

I didn’t want her final day to be decided for us.

So today I gave my girl the biggest gift of love I could give her.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻.

Freedom.

When her grandma Crikey passed away, I told her to run.

Run to the top of that hill as fast as she could.

And today I told Midgie the same thing.

Go, mate.

Run flat knacker.

Hammer and tong.

Run those hills.

Chase everything.

You’ve got your legs back now.

And as she was going, her little front feet started to run.

Just like her grandma’s did.

I kissed her little face and told the little dog who had spent her whole life finding me,

“You have to do one thing for me now, Darlin’.

You cannot look for me.

Not this time.

When my time comes, when I’m ready, I’ll find you.

And you’ll find me.

But until then, you don’t look for me.

You go and run.”

And she looked straight into my eyes.

I am heartbroken.

But tonight, for the first time in what feels like forever, there is peace in me too.

Because my girl is free.

Run, Midgie.

Just run. 💞🐾

🐍 𝗦𝗡𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗦 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 🐍

Great post from Dr Bek and Alpine Animal Doctors and definitely worth a read.

One really important thing to know 👇

A dog can collapse after a snake encounter, appear to recover, and still be in serious trouble.

If you suspect a snake bite, don’t wait and see. Get them to a vet. 🚗💨

Have a read and keep those four legged mates safe. 🐾❤️

🐍 SNAKE BITE SEASON IS UPON US! 🐍

The weather is warming up, which means our local nope ropes are becoming increasingly active. 😳

Now is a great time to clear the garden of rubbish, piles of timber, sheets of iron and other clutter that might provide a nice little hidey hole for a snake.

Keeping grass and weeds short can also help make your yard a little less appealing to our slithery neighbours.

But even with the best prevention, snake bites happen.

Signs of snake envenomation in pets can include:

🤮 Vomiting
💩 Diarrhoea
🫨 Wobbliness or weakness
😵 Collapse
⚡ Seizures
🐾 Paralysis
💨 Difficulty breathing

And here’s the REALLY important bit…

Some pets can collapse within 10–15 minutes of a snake encounter, then appear to recover.

🚨 DO NOT be fooled by this! 🚨

This temporary improvement can be followed by a rapid and potentially life-threatening deterioration.

Please don’t take a “wait and see” approach if you suspect your pet has been bitten.

☎️ Contact your vet immediately and get your pet in for assessment and treatment.

The sooner we can start appropriate treatment, including antivenom when indicated, the better the chance of getting on top of the envenomation before it becomes severe.

Snake bites are an emergency.

If you suspect a snake bite, don’t wait for symptoms to worsen. Get moving! 🐍🚗💨

Stay safe out there, everyone — and keep those four-legged snake hunters under close supervision! 🐶🐱❤️



Photo by Caden Van Cleave

𝗧𝗨𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗥 𝗝𝗔𝗡𝗘 — 𝗡𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗟𝗘 🏅

Somehow I completely forgot to share Tucker’s latest Scent Work achievements over here on Muscles & More. 🤦‍♀️

It’s been a pretty bloody good run for this girl lately.

At our North East Tracking & Scent Club Novice Scent Work trial, Tucker came away with four searches, four passes and her 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲. 🏅

She also pulled out a 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿 with a 9.09 second search.

What I love about Tucker is her versatility.

Herding one weekend.
Scent Work the next.

She throws herself into whatever we’re doing and genuinely loves having a job to do.

And of course Midge was there too, taking her usual position as boss dog of camp and keeping Tucker and me in line. 😂❤️

I’m incredibly proud of both my girls.

Tucker for everything she throws herself into, and Midge for still being right there beside us, doing what Midge does best and running the show. ❤️

Tucker has been an Antinol Athlete for nearly two years now, and I’m very proud to have Antinol and Vetz Petz supporting her along the way.

If you’d like to give Antinol a try, you can use our code 𝗧𝟳𝟳𝟳𝟮𝟳𝟯𝟵 for 15% off.

DOG STRUGGLING WITH ANXIETY, REACTIVITY OR TROUBLE SETTLING? THEIR GUT MAY BE PART OF THE PICTURE.

🦠GUT -> BRAIN -> BEHAVIOR 🧠🐕

🐶 DOG STRUGGLING WITH ANXIETY, REACTIVITY OR TROUBLE SETTLING? THEIR GUT MAY BE PART OF THE PICTURE. 🦠🧠

A new 2026 peer-reviewed review is shining a spotlight on something most pet parents would never connect with their dog’s behavior:

The gut microbiome.

The researchers highlight a randomized, placebo-controlled study of dogs given the specific probiotic strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LP815™ for four weeks.

And what changed wasn’t just their gut.

🤯 Dogs receiving LP815™ showed significant improvements in anxiety and aggression compared with placebo.

Even more interesting, activity monitors showed they settled faster after their owners left and had more consistent sleep.

And LP815™ is one of the specific strains we chose for Dr. Becker’s Primitive Probiotics™.

Why does that matter?

Because with probiotics, STRAIN MATTERS.

You can’t assume every L. plantarum—or every probiotic—will produce the same effects. The review itself points out that probiotic research varies by strain, dose and duration.

This is why we didn’t formulate Primitive Probiotics™ by simply chasing the biggest CFU number possible.

We selected specific researched strains in dogs that were designed to support the microbiome from multiple angles—including LP815™, a strain now being studied for something that goes far beyond digestion.

🦠 GUT → BRAIN → BEHAVIOR 🧠🐶

For years, most pet parents have thought about probiotics for p**p and digestion.

Now scientists are investigating how specific probiotic strains may also influence the gut–brain axis, behavior, stress and sleep. And that’s a fascinating new chapter in canine microbiome research.

👇 Want to learn more about Dr. Karen Becker’s Primitive Probiotics™?

Comment “BETTERBELLY” and we’ll send you the link.

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. 💚

This is gorgeous Lotti the night after her Canine Myofunctional Therapy session.

Fair to say she was pretty relaxed. 😂

But it was the message from her mum afterwards that really made my day.

Lotti was getting up from lying down much more easily, her back legs weren’t slipping when she stood up, and then came this little gem…

“Lotti sprung up into the car like a puppy!”

Normally she’ll hesitate a few times before jumping in, or needs to be lifted.

That’s the stuff I love hearing.

Not because one session magically fixes everything, but because when a dog starts moving more freely and everyday things become easier, that matters.

Thanks Amy for the lovely update, and beautiful Lotti for being such a pleasure to work with. 💚

𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲. 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹. 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱.

Janine
Muscles & More

𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗦 🌼🦁

You’d think butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth looking at her in the clinic.

Lying there like,
“I am a delicate little flower and Janine is tending to me.” 😂

Meanwhile, according to her Dad, outside the clinic she’s more like...

Patches, Destroyer of Worlds.

Hear me ROAR. 🦁😂

Apparently this sweet little face has a rather impressive lion hiding behind it.

I’m not sure I believe him.
Look at that face. 😂

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲.

This is Perrin.

Perrin isn't a dog who will usually lie comfortably on his side. He's hypervigilant and very aware of what's happening around him.

On this particular morning there was plenty going on outside after the Caravan and Camping Show, so understandably, part of his attention was on everything happening around us.

So I worked with him where he was comfortable.

Just Perrin, my hands, and the information his body was giving me.

𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲. 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹. 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱.

𝗠𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗼 💚

Milo was back in for his regular maintenance session today.

As you can see, he takes the whole thing very seriously. 😂

Regular Canine Myofunctional Therapy is a great way to keep an eye on how the body is feeling and pick up on any changes along the way.

Safe to say, Milo knows the drill. 😂

𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞. 🐑🌿

On the weekend Tucker competed in ANKC A Course Sheep for the first time.

She scored 87/100 in her first run and then pulled out a perfect 100/100 in her second, coming away with First Place and sharing Highest Score in Trial – Sheep.

Pretty bloody special for our first crack at it.

There's also something about Tucker Jane that I haven't shared publicly before.

Tucker has bilateral hip dysplasia.

It's something I'm very aware of and something I take into consideration when deciding what we do together, but I've never wanted her diagnosis to define her or automatically take away the things she loves.

And Tucker absolutely froths on herding.

For me, it comes back to something I believe strongly in through my work with dogs.

Look at the dog in front of you.

Keeping Tucker fit, active and strong is an important part of supporting her, just as much as being thoughtful about what I ask of her.

I watch her movement, her behaviour, her workload and how she responds afterwards. Behaviour in particular tells me a lot about how Tucker is feeling, and it's something I pay very close attention to.

It's about finding the right balance for the dog in front of me and continuing to reassess that as we go.

And on the weekend, I got to watch Tucker doing something she genuinely loves and doing it bloody well.

87/100.

100/100.

First Place.

And Highest Score in Trial – Sheep.

I'm also incredibly grateful to Vetz Petz Australia and Antinol for having Tucker as an Antinol Athlete and for being part of her journey doing all the things that make Tucker, Tucker.

If you'd like to give Antinol a try with your own dog, you can use Tucker's discount code T7772739 for 15% off.

Pretty bloody proud of you, Tucker Jane. ❤️