She's an amputee but still works like a dog

"If I asked my dog to run up that hill right now, she would do it," said farmer Dave Grafton, indicating a lofty peak near his farm in Glentui, North Canterbury.

"She would never give up. She just loves to work."

Even among a group renowned as the workaholics of the canine world, Grafton's dog, Stacey, is special she only has three legs.

An accident meant the four-year-old bitch's left hind leg had to be removed last November.

It has not stopped her covering big distances on the farm, or winning nine awards at a recent dog trial in nearby Loburn.

"Within a fortnight, she had pretty much forgotten about it. She didn't once fall over. She's pretty resilient," said Grafton. MORE>>