The sound of dogs working sheep at the Mayfield A&P showgrounds near Ashburton, was heard for miles around, when PGG Wrightson ran its 61st annual Ashburton sheep and cattle dog sale on Thursday 6 July. The sales catalogue featured 43 Heading and 15 Huntaway dogs.




The top price went to three year old Heading dog ‘Bruce’. Bruce was bred and trained by highly respected dog trialist and breeder Michael Millar of Darfield.




Michael Millar said, “I’m pleased with that price. He is a good strong heading dog and I thought he would do well. He’s a three year old and I put him in the sale because I have to spend a bit more time with the younger dogs I’ve got coming through.”




PGG Wrightson Mid Canterbury Livestock Manager Greg Cook said, “There is still a strong demand for a good sheep or cattle dog – the sale reflected that today with a top price of $7,000 (which was up $400 on last year’s top price).




“Over the last ten years or so the quality of the dogs has got better as the number of the dogs on offer has decreased. Not everyone needs to buy a dog every year, but when they do they are happy to pay a good price for a quality dog that will work hard for them for a number of years.




“This sale attracts buyers from all over New Zealand, but the vendors are mainly from the Canterbury and Otago regions. There are a core of regular vendors who have been selling for quite a few years at this sale. They might not have a dog to sell every year, but when they do, it is always a high quality dog.”




“The top end was very strong – people will spend good money on a good dog. But we saw a few more of younger dogs on offer today (from eight months to two years) than we did last year. We sold 48 of the 58 dogs offered for sale today, so we are pleased with that result. The sale price ranged from $500 to the top price of $7,000. The sale price for Huntaway dogs ranged from $1,000 to $6,300 and the Heading dogs fetched between $500 and $7,000 ,” said Greg.




During the auction, each dog had the opportunity to showcase their skills when they worked a pen or yard of sheep supplied by a local farmer. While the sheep will return to their paddock at the end of the sale, the dogs will be heading to their new farms all over New Zealand.




It was a sunny but cold winter’s day in Mid Canterbury, but there was a good attendance and strong interest in the working dogs on sale, with the number of dogs offered slightly up on last year.