Names: Bj -12 / Django – 6 / Blu – 4 / Jäger – 2
Breed: Australian Shepherds
‘Dogs are family.’
Three small words that mean so much.
Dogs teach us much about compassion, responsibility, selflessness and most importantly, unconditional love. The unwavering loyalty and companionship a dog gives should earn them a special place in every human family. And right at the heart of one very special family here in Melbourne are not one, not two, but four beautiful Australian Shepherds.
Bj, Django, Blu and Jäger share a large, love-filled home with their human sister and pack leader, Sarah, as well as Sarah’s mum, dad and brother. Sarah shares an incredibly close bond with all four pups, and is so in-tune with each of their needs, quirks and differing personalities. It was amazing to witness their loving connection first-hand.
The first time we stumbled across @myaussietribe on instagram, we couldn’t quite believe our eyes. We’d always thought Aussie Shepherds were one of the most striking dog breeds around, but seeing four of them together in one household…well that was quite the sight!
We just knew we had to meet them. And as it turned out, the photoshoot came at just the right time. Sadly, the tribe’s eldest dog, 12 year-old Bj, had recently been diagnosed with cancer. She had only been given days to live, so every passing minute, hour and day was precious. Bj put up an amazing fight, but it was around two months after this photo shoot take place that sadly, the time came for her to cross the rainbow bridge.
Below, Sarah tells us a little about life with her gorgeous Aussie tribe. At the end of this post is an excerpt of a touching tribute Sarah shared to instagram in honour of her beautiful Beej.
We are so grateful to have captured these moments that Sarah and her family can look back on forever…x
When did the story of your Aussie tribe begin?
As a child I always wanted a border collie. When I was 12, we came across Bj who we initially thought was a border collie, but actually turned out to be a different breed we’d never heard of – an Australian Shepherd. Bj is the reason we have four of them!
“Our favourite places to hang out at home are my bed in the mornings, and on the ‘humans only’ couch at night!”
How would you describe their different personalities?
Bj: The wise tribe leader, our ‘Queen Bee’. She makes sure everyone is in place. She’s very switched on and always alert.
Django: The protector of our tribe. He is very sensitive and human-like, and acts a lot older than he is. He is my shadow and the kind of dog you only get once in a lifetime.
Blu: Her eyes offer a clue to her personality – crazy! Blu can run up and down the beach for hours and will never get tired. She can light up anyone’s mood with her uncontrollable tongue and big cuddles.
Jäger: Our little special wombat. Jäger has a bit of anxiety which we had never experienced in a dog before. His anxiety makes him who he is and we love that about him. He senses things the other dogs don’t, which makes him so special.
“The best thing about sharing their lives to instagram is allowing others to experience our love for our tribe. They make us happy, so giving people the opportunity to also experience this means so much to us.”
If your Aussie tribe could tell us something about you, what do you think they would say?
They’d say our Mum is just like us – all she does is eat and sleep. At least she chooses to do it with us! We love adventuring with her, and love that she lets all of us on her bed, even though we leave a whole dog’s worth of fur on there!
Do you have a memorable story or two about life with your Aussie tribe?
The day we got Django changed all of our lives! Especially Bj’s, as she was an only child after just having lost our two old dogs around the same time. We had a whole litter to choose from, but Django chose us. We were told he was born completely blind in one eye, but it didn’t change a thing for us. He came and sat next to my foot and I knew he was the one. When he turned one, he had to have surgery on his eye, so he now has a prosthetic eyeball.
“My nan doesn’t like dogs, but Django is an exception because in her words, ‘He is no dog, he is human.”
How would you describe life with your Aussie tribe?
We do everything together – every day is an adventure for us. One day we might be road tripping, then the next day adventuring on sand dunes near the ocean.
“My tribe are my family. I wouldn’t be me if it wasn’t for them. They make me happy when I’m down and they know a massive cuddle fixes everything. They are our world and we’d do anything to make our tribe’s life the best any dog could have.”
Sarah’s tribute to Bj:
“Some of the best times with my Beej were finding you snuggled up while we had people over and I’d make my way into your little curled up spot. You would always open your eyes slightly to see who it was. I’d give you pats and kisses and say it’s okay and pretended like I’d been there the whole time.
The feeling you gave me when you’d close your eyes again and fall asleep in my arms, was sooooo much love! Like massive amounts of just pure love for you with everything I could possibly give that I didn’t even know I had!
You are a piece of my heart. I’ve always got you and you will always have me.”
You can see our Aussie Tribe video over on YouTube. Follow them on instagram at @myaussietribe.
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