Emma and Mayzie's story is part of a series on Hawkesbury people and their pets, featuring the work of Gazette and Courier photographer, Geoff Jones.
EMMA and her brother Max of Bligh Park wanted a dog that did more than just "sit and sleep".
They got more than they bargained for with Mayzie.
No disrespect to their other two dogs, a chihuahua-cross-pomeranian and a whippet. The former was a lounge lizard and the other, well ... quiet.
"They wanted a dog that does stuff!" said Mum Michelle Hynes.
Mayzie was "an accident". Her cattle dog mum and the next door neighbour's border collie "got together when they weren't supposed to," said Mrs Hynes.
"It was a rude shock to start off with [when we first got her]. For the first two months, I thought 'oh my god, what have we done?' She was full on.
"Because they're natural herders, you'd come out in the morning and she'd nibble your toes, pounce on your feet, if you left a shoe or a sock out, she'd chew it - nothing was sacred.
"I thought, 'this is like having a toddler again and I can't cope with this!'"
The Hynes took Mayzie to puppy training where she learned more manners.
It was a rude shock to start off with. For the first two months, I thought 'oh my god, what have we done?' She was full on.
- Michelle Hynes
"She's been fantastic ever since. She is the most beautiful dog. And she's the biggest sook, she has to have belly rubs at every opportunity."
Now two years old, one of Mayzie's favourite things to do is what the Hynes call 'show and share', where she brings toys to show her humans, and 'the toe licks', where she walks past very casually and licks each foot very quickly, then keeps moving.
"She digs holes in the backyard. We're not real happy with it, but it is cute. Then she sits in her hole!"
Sometimes Toby the whippet sits in the hole, too; he is nine, and has really come out of his shell since Mayzie arrived.
"They play chasey, and they sleep in the kennel together. They're very cute, they do everything together. If you take one to the vet, the other one cries!" said Mrs Hynes.