Fewer dogs were offered but a record number of 167 registered buyers pushed prices to some record levels at the 60th annual working dog sale run by PGG Wrightson.
The bar was set early when the hammer went down on lot 11, three-year-old heading dog Sky, sold for $6500.
A first-time buyer at the Tinwald sale, sheep and beef farmer Winston McCone from Waimate was pretty chuffed with his purchase as he bid down some strong competition, encouraged by his son Campbell who earlier this year bought one of Sky’s pups.
“My son has been impressed with the pup so we knew what we were looking for and thought we would give it a go. She worked well out there and now we will take her home and see what she can do,” McCone said.
For the seller Terry Ponsonby, a shepherd and working dog breeder from the Mackenzie Country, the sale was his ticket for a trip to Scotland.
“It’s the first time I have sold here in many years and I am selling five dogs and hopefully funding my overseas trip for a couple of years,” Ponsoby said.
Two-year-old heading dog Sam sold by Little River farmer Ross Millar topped the sale with a record-breaking price of $6600.
PGG Wrightson auctioneer John Farrell said prices had exceeded expectation with a number of dogs reaching the $6000 mark.
The top price was up $800 on last year while the average sale price was up $700.
The strong line-up of buyers, many who had travelled long distances in search of a good working dog, and a catalogue containing more young dogs had helped boost the sale.
The price for huntaway dogs ranged from $600 to $5500 and the heading dogs fetched between $1000 and $6600.
During the auction, each dog had the chance to showcase its skills working a pen or yard of sheep.
PGW South Island livestock manager Shane Gerken said achieving a 60-year milestone for the working dog sale was a significant achievement shared by the company with breeders, vendors and buyers.
“There is still a strong demand for a good working dog. The sale reflected that today.
“The enthusiastic crowd and the top price today show that this sale continues to attract some of the best of New Zealand’s huntaway and heading dogs,” Gerken said.
While declining sheep numbers had affected on the number of dogs offered, the quality of those put up had improved.
In earlier days and 20 or so years ago there would have been 120-130 dogs registered for sale in line with strong demand for lambing dogs and while that demand was still there it was nowhere to the same extent.
Of the 50 dogs offered for sale 44 were sold with bidding ranging from $600 to the top price of $6600.
