BELLA THE DOBERMAN IS ALWAYS
READY FOR A GAME OF FETCH...
AND SOME MORNING TEA.
WORDS BARBAR A SWEENEY PHOTOGRAPHY FELIX FORESTloyal
companion
ABOUT THE BREED
Originally bred as a guard dog, the doberman pinscher,
or simply doberman, features powerful hind legs and
a deep chest. They are known as intelligent, alert
and loyal dogs. The breed descends from a number
of other breeds, including the Great Dane, greyhound
and rottweiler, and was developed in Germany in the
19th century by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann.104 COU NTRY ST Y LE JUNE 2017
Bella the doberman follows
her owher owner, Robert Armner, Robert Armstrong, strong,
every wevery where. here. FACING PAGE FACING PAGE
Bella stretching her legs in Bella stretching her legs in
the Alto Olives grove. the Alto Olives grove.BELLA, A SLEEK young doberman, greets every
arrival to Hopeful, the Alto Olives grove at the foothills
of the Great Dividing Ranges near Crookwell in NSW,
with an enquiring sniff.
She stands tall and her look is bright and alert. There’s
a sense that you’re being appraised as a potential playmate.
Her head cocks one way, then another, as she takes you in.
Bella came to live on the farm with her owner
Robert Armstrong when he bought her as a puppy to
be a companion for his doberman, Zac. She came from
the same breeder as Zac; in fact he was Bella’s uncle.
“Zac was really put out when Bella arrived,” Robert
says. “It was interesting to watch them. But over time
Zac became her mentor. He taught her how to play with
things. He’d wait for her to take her food first. It became
a very paternalistic relationship.”
Zac died at the end of 2015 and Bella has stepped up as top
dog. “She has taken on a whole new role,” says Robert. “She’s
an extremely good guard dog and follows me everywhere.”
Everywhere includes early morning surveys of the olives,
running after, beside and ahead of Robert as he rides the
quad bike up and down the vertiginous slopes of the groves.
Robert has always had dogs and Bella is his seventh
doberman. “Dobermans are really gentle dogs, even if the
public perception is different to that,” he says. “Although any
dog’s nature depends on the personality of its owner,” he adds.
Robert likes the definable traits of the doberman.
“They are good guard dogs,” he says. “Interesting though,
they don’t stop people coming into the house but they
do try to stop them from leaving.”
While Bella loves to nod off — at the back door, in a patch
of sun, under Robert’s desk in his office — she is always
up for a throwing game and waits patiently for Robert
to find some free time. “She wants to play all the time and
she wants you to throw sticks and balls for her to retrieve,”
he says. “It encourages me to go for long walks with her,
which is good for me. She keeps me young.”
Bella retrieves the sticks and balls with speed, but has
a habit of not wanting to release them. She is also an
inveterate licker. “She thinks everybody is a dog.”To watch Bella’s long, loping strides as she runs up the drive
or across the grove is a joyful sight. Her stride — dobermans
stand on their toes, not their paws — is very different to
working dogs, such as kelpies and border collies that are
normally associated with Australian farm life.
“When I moved to the farm in 2008 it was only natural
that I would get a companion animal and I did get a pair
of working dogs,” says Robert. “This area is renowned for
its merino wool production but I’m in horticulture and
working dogs without work didn’t make sense.”
Even though she’s still young, Robert hasn’t put Bella
though the training routine he would have with his
previous pets. “Training is good for discipline,” he says.
“Dobermans are not very good with vehicles and I do worry
as there is a lot of machinery on the farm. I have noticed
lately that she seems to have more traffic sense. And,
she’s just started to travel with me in the car.”
Bella is content to stay home though and has an uncanny
knack of always appearing at the olive processing shed or
office in time for morning tea. Then it’s time for another
nap. “Dobermans are great sleepers,” says Robert.
For more information about Alto Olives, telephone
(02) 4834 6022 or visit alto-olives.com.auDOG TALE