Two women who established a working dog rescue service just over a year ago have since saved 527 abandoned working dogs and puppies.

Peri Chappell and Jenny Dryden established Herd 2 Homes to save working dogs in death row pounds, shelters, private surrenders and on farming properties from being killed.

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Ms Chappell, who currently has 21 rescue dogs and puppies in her care on her property near Deniliquin in southern New South Wales, works alongside 100 volunteers to rescue working dogs and puppies from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.

The volunteers are involved in fostering, training and transporting the rescued dogs and puppies.

"Nine times out of 10 they have no training, so they will jump all over you, won't come when called, don't have any of the basics and have never had boundaries or training, so we start them off straight away on learning basic manners," Ms Chappell said.

She said a lot of the dogs and puppies had been mistreated, malnourished and injured.

"A lot of dogs get dumped when they are injured as a lot of people can't afford or don't want to fix the illness or injury," Ms Chappell said.

"We had a pair of bonded 13-year-old kelpie cross dogs that we rescued from Blacktown in Sydney.

"The female was riddled with tumours, so we did what we could and she probably only has about 12 months of life, but they both found a wonderful adopter together who understands what's involved."

Ms Chappell said the special cases that required more care did take longer to find a home, but puppies and young adults up to six years old were easier to place.

"We are very picky about where we adopt our dogs out to," she said.

"We don't just want to find a good home, we want to the perfect home for each dog's needs."

Ms Chappell puts her rescue dog, two-year-old kelpie Gem, through her paces in the yards. ( ABC Rural: Cara Jeffery )

Letting go can be difficult

Herd 2 Homes ensures every dog is microchipped, wormed, vet checked and desexed as part of its commitment to responsible rehoming.

"We seem to get more dogs down here that need rescuing, being the rural farming community, but we have more foster carers up there being more populated," Ms Chappell said.

Once the vet work is completed, the dogs are advertised on the National Pet Rescue website and through Herd 2 Homes' social media and online platforms.

"We then begin a thorough adoption process, and then hand over their new bundle of joy," Ms Chappell said.

Letting go is not always easy.

"There are some that definitely weasel their way into your heart, but you have to remember you can't keep them all," she said.

"Because if I did that I would have about 50 by now and there is more that need you. Once you've had a few it's easier to focus on the ones that still need your help."

Ms Chappell said volunteers also worked to educate farmers that there were other ways to handle failed workers or accidental litters.

Some of those ways include training the abandoned working dogs to become drug detection dogs for Corrective Services.

Dogs get chance to use their 'clever minds'

Ms Dryden, from the NSW Central Coast, is a vet nurse of 15 years and currently has 10 dogs in her care.

She is passionate about obedience, dog behaviour and psychology, and conducts agility training and testing for dogs to be rehomed to Corrective Services.

"We have a really good relationship with Corrective Services, and they take on rescue dogs and put them through their program," Ms Chappell said.

"[It is] just fabulous as they get to work every day and their clever minds, and then they go home with their handlers. It's a wonderful life."

Last month Herd 2 Homes sent three working dogs to the organisation and another two have just passed their training.

Ms Dryden recently met with Defence Department services, which are also keen to take on working dogs suited to detection work

The dogs that pass the test for detection work tend to be kelpie crosses and kelpie/border collies.

"Pretty much all of the working dogs have the high level of intelligence and drive that's needed for Corrective Services and the detection dogs," Ms Chappell said.

Peri Chappell with her rescue dog, two-year-old Kelpie Gem. ( ABC Rural: Cara Jeffery )

"What we look for is ball drive, so they've just got to be really ball mad and focused on their ball and sniff it out.

"That's the first sign, and then Jenny will coordinate with the carer to run them through drills."

Ms Chappell said the majority of Herd 2 Homes dogs were rehomed to active companion homes.

"People have to understand the breed. Obviously most of the dogs have just been stuck in a backyard and had nothing done with them, so they need exercise and mental stimulation to keep their busy minds working," she said.

Ms Chappell and two other carers conduct the working dog training and instinct-test the dogs.

She spends at least an hour day working some of the rescue dogs with sheep in the yards and paddock.

Feeding 21 dogs and puppies is a half-hour routine morning and night for Ms Chappell.

"I'm also teaching them manners at feeding so they learn how to co-feed and not food guard," she said.

For the love of dogs

Growing up on a farm, Ms Chappell has had a long association with working dogs.

She was given her first working dog when she was four years old, a kelpie/border collie cross called Polly.

"Polly was a great dog, and my brother's and my best friend. We all adventured around the farm together," she said.

Polly passed away and Ms Chappell moved to the city for her career.

In 2013 when she moved back to the farm at Deniliquin, she knew it was time to get a dog.

"One dog has kind of snowballed into this," she said.