The Cast of Characters

Dually-Dude- Our Hero. The Smartest Aussie on Earth... at least the smartest-mouth Auss around.

Rio-Roo - His Li’l Sidekick. Every comedian needs an amigo to play off!

Rascal- Elder Statesman of Hemler Manor. And major target for pranks

Rocky- The Chihuahua who as here before the Aussies arrived. He’s “grandfathered” in.

Diesel- Dually-Dude’s sturdy steed. (That’s a horse for you tenderfoots.) Subject of many attempted rustling attempts.

Giant Snuggly Octopus- Dually-Dude’s other best stuffed buddy. Source of comfort and consternation when Rio tries to steal him!

The Creepy Crew- Dually-Dude’s toys who come to life at night and appear at unexpected places to scare the crap out of the humans when they wake up and find themselves staring nose to nose with an inanimate object.

 Susan Hemler, Alias “Mom”, Grande Dame of Hemler Manor. Known for her unusual phobias and ability to scream loud enough to be heard throughout the greater Phoenix area. Also known as Crazy Pants, Screamer McScreamer, Wonky McWonkerton, Migraine Barbie, and various other “affectionate” monikers.

Russ Hemler, Alias “Dad”. Dually-Dude’s hero for regularly rescuing him and Mom from various crisis situations.

The Other Susan (TOS), Alias Susan Mullaney Cookson. Dually-Dude’s agent and publicist. (Every Social Media celebrity has to have a publicist!) Aussie rescuer and manager of the Australian Shepherds Furever (ASF) Spokesdogs. 

Codi – Maker and designer of Dually-Dude Merchandise. 

Aunt Becki – The cool aunt that makes fabulous baskets for auctions and always has a special treats for Dually-Dude and Company.

Uncle Richie– Dually-Dude’s artist extraordinaire and maker of flags he donates to help ASF. 

Shani- A blue-eyed red merle toy Aussie who was rescued from certain death at a Kansas City shelter by ASF volunteers. Shani recovered and has become a beloved “supermodel” and spokesdog for what can be accomplished when humans rescue these amazing dogs and give them the chance to be all they can be! Shani is also a certified therapy dog who visits hospitals and nursing homes cheering up the residents.

Digby Digglesworth - One of a litter of 6 Aussie/Border Collie puppies surrendered by an Oklahoma breeder because they were “an accident” and not saleable. ASF took them and found them homes in New England. Digby made it to TOS’s farm in Maine and is now Head Aussie and Farm Dog, not to mention another photogenic supermodel! TOS’s first Spokesdog.

Roka- A red-merle who was abandoned by her family at 11 months old with a petsitter. When the family returned from vacation, they told the petsitter to “keep her” as they didn’t want her anymore. Her stricken look in her online photo prompted TOS to get her rescued by ASF and moved from Oklahoma to Massachusetts, and her trainer/adopter Emily. Emily soon discovered she had a supermodel on her hands who loved to pose with props for the camera. Roka is the “original” ASF Spokesdog who has raised thousands of dollars for ASF.

River- This 11 month old pup was found as a stray on the streets of TX and brought by Animal Control to the local overcrowded shelter where he would have been euthanized within 24 hours. A kind volunteer at the shelter saw something very special in River, took him home and called ASF. ASF took River and transported him to his adopter, Derek, in Maine. River is a supermodel, loving to pose for the camera, and also an Emotional Support Dog. River lives to make Derek laugh with his antics and to help save more at-risk Aussies like himself.

Tallie- A rescue from a breeding program in Maine, Tallie, the little redhead with the striking blue eyes, found her way to TOS and Maple Shade Farm. Tallie was the “pack leader” and Emotional Support Dog for her former owner. When th owner move to Arizona, she was unable to take Tallie with her. Tallie now prefers life as the littlest farm dog at Maple Shade Farm, sales assistant at craft fairs, and trusty sidekick to TOS and her son. Natural-Born Supermodel!

Bear- This boy was dumped at a TX shelter by a backyard breeder at age 3, as useless for breeding. Bear was born with hip dysplasia because of poor breeding practices very common among backyard breeders who do no genetic testing. Bear was rescued by an ASF volunteer. His adopter Britt had lost her beloved Aussie Lucy to cancer, and Bear’s big grin just jumped off the screen. She had to have him! ASF obliged and moved him to the beautiful Adirondacks in Upstate New York. Soon Bear’s antics for the camera led Britt, an amateur photographer, to start an Etsy Store, Bear’s Best Wishes, offering Bear’s humorous greeting cards for sale. 

WooWoo - This girl has a special place among Dually-Dude fans. She is the first Aussie needing expensive medical care that Dually-Dude set out to help raise money to pay for. WooWoo was surrendered to the New Hampshire Humane Society. She had been purchased as a puppy and trained to be an Emotional Support/Therapy Dog for an autistic boy. Unfortunately, the boy’s violent episodes led to injury for WooWoo. The family wisely decided she’d been traumatized enough. ASF accepted her into foster care, hoping she might heal with time and rest. But her legs continued to decline, becoming very painful and needing ACL surgery to both back legs... another legacy of poor breeding by a backyard breeder. Today, WooWoo is recovering from her first surgery, doing physical therapy, going for reactivity training, and awaiting her second surgery and rehab. All of this is possible thanks to her ASF foster, a retired nurse, and contributions from generous donors to ASF. And of course, because Dually-Dude championed her cause.

Nash B. Goode – This Li’l Guy was an owner surrender by a family who lived in a Portland, Maine, triple decker, with 3 kids under 5, who faced eviction because poor Nash began suffering from major anxiety. None of these circumstances create a beneficial environment for a young Aussie with too much intelligence and energy. Untrained, he became something of a menace to one and all who didn’t just give in and give him his way! TOS’s big heart took him in and within two months of fostering him for ASF, it was obvious he’d be a classic “foster fail”. Like most of the little guys, Nash has the biggest smile and cutest poses as an ASF Spokesdog... but with a hint of the little devil lurking just below the surface!