A new record auction price helped make this year’s Ray White Livestock Rockhampton Dog Trial and Working Dog Sale one of the biggest sales in the Southern Hemisphere.
The annual event held from 21 to 23 of April has significantly grown since it first began in 2015, going from just eight lots to 119 in 2023, with the main breed Border Collies.
The top-priced dog over 11 months old accomplished a record price of $33,000 from vendor Joseph Leven from Casino, NSW, sold to James and Helen Parker from Monto.
Mr Leven who participates in the sale every year said how he views the working dog.
“The working dog really stands alone because of the value they offer to our industry,” he said.
“Agriculture really recognises and values them as an employee and is investing a lot of time and money into these working dogs because they are quite literally supreme athletes.
“With a labour shortage of urban employees, graziers have to be more innovative and are branching back to the old, smart working dog who has probably been forgotten about for a few generations.
“The dogs have become quite the man of the moment.”
The over-11-month-old dogs averaged $7500 with the under-10-month pups averaging $4025.
Two pups (under 10 months old) from Marty Addy and Emma Sutherland sold for $16,000 each with lot 66 Addy’s Jazz bought by Rick and Sally Seeds and lot 83 Addy’s Hope to Peter Bauer.
The winners of the Ray White 2023 Working Dog Trial were Dan Killey and Nadnat Percy with 283 points, with a close runner-up of 282.5 points to Paul Wroe and Carrascot Spot.
The 2023 sire shootout winner went to Jamie Sturrock and Craiglea Seth.
Ray White Rural Gracemere principal Gary Wendt said the shootout, sponsored by Queensland Veterinary Specialists from Stafford Queensland, was a trial to promote working dog sires, allowing buyers the chance to purchase new blood and put it across their breed of dogs.
Buyers and vendors travelled from NSW, Melbourne, and Victoria, throughout Queensland, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory (NT).
Mr Wendt said there was a quality line-up of dogs put together in one place where people could come and look at the dog’s work.
“It’s all in one place so it makes it easier for people, instead of them having to look through the internet or going to a bunch of different sales,” he said.
Days one and two presented guests with three rounds of the working dog trial competition where five rotations of 105 lots were sorted through by Stephen Biles and Glen Dickson.
In order to complete the trial, the dogs had to chase the cattle through a series of courses in a certain amount of time with little to no errors.
The weaners for the dog trials were supplied from a cattle station north of Rockhampton.
Having just freshly come off the farm, the herd had to be trained and sorted to be suited to the obstacle course and to be familiar with working dogs.
On day two, the contestants were narrowed down to just 30 lots, with Jamie Sturrock and Craiglea Seth and Andrew Jansen and Riverside Buck both tying for first place.
Day three kicked off with 119 lots going under the hammer with buyers grabbing up 112 lots.
Livestock trader, first-time breeder and vendor of working dogs Bobby Rowe said what he thought about the sale.
“It was interesting to see how everything went and I think the dogs are of value lately with the shortage of skilled stock people,” he said.
“The main reason I come here was to just put my dogs out and see how they went, and we have plenty at home coming along.”
