Records tumbled at the Casterton, Vic, Kelpie Association’s Working Dog Auction at the weekend, with more than $260,000 worth of dogs sold in a little more than an hour.
Previous record holder, Ian O’Connell, Strathkellar, Vic, was the first to eclipse the $12,000 Casterton record with Leesa Sally.
The fully-trained dog sold to SA buyer Karatta Pastoral, Binnum, for $16,500.
Just minutes later that record was eclipsed by a black and tan kelpie offered by Christian Peaock, Waterloo, Vic, which made $22,200.
Elders Hamilton’s Steven McLeod, Vic, put in the winning bid for 27-month-old Glencairn Seven, for an undisclosed buyer.
First-time Casterton vendor Mr Peacock manages a property at Stockyard Hill, Vic, for the Bain family.
He was ecstatic.
“I had a $5000 reserve and thought I would be pretty chuffed if we got to $6000 to $7000 because I am not known here,” he said.
He said Seven – named because it was part of a litter of seven pups – had been bred from his dog Puds Crusier and out of bitch Sunraysia Claire, owned by Dave Sweatman, Glencairn Kelpies, Woorndoo, Vic.
“We did a joining and it was the service fee, which I have trained up,” he said.
“It is a nice casual dog but when it needs that punch it has got it.”
Karatta Pastoral manager Jamie Partridge said the second-highest priced dog Sally would be an asset working with their 5000 breeding ewes.
“It is very well bred, very well trained with a lot of potential in our business,” he said.
Mr Partridge said it was slightly more than he expected to pay but the dog was was still good value.
“There was a study done by a NSW university which showed the average working dog is worth $40,000 to your business across 10 years,” he said.
“I think a really good working dog is probably worth $100,000 to $110,000 over 10 years so she is still cheap.”
Overall, 50 of 64 fully-trained, started dogs and pups averaged $5289.
Casterton Kelpie Association president Karen Stephens said the sale attracted the “cream of the crop”.
“Many people are saying they can’t get good staff on the land and they are recognising a good working dog is worth every cent,” she said.
“They don’t answer you back and you don’t have to give them annual leave.”
