By Penny Miles of RNZ
Organisers of a long-standing North Island working dog auction are in disbelief after $320,000 changed hands at their latest sale.
With sheep farming riding a wave of record lamb prices and strong international demand, buyers arrived at the auction near Whanganui last Saturday with extra money in their back pockets.
Hundreds attended the annual Parapara-Makirikiri Sheep Dog Trial Club auction held on a rural property near Whangaehu, which featured more than 60 dogs for sale.
Inclement weather on the day did little to slow the bidding.
Fierce competition pushed heading dog Trix to the top price of $12,200, bettering last year’s best by nearly $3000.
The top huntaway, Mufasa, from Taihape’s Peter Wilson, sold for $10,500, topping last year’s $9800. The young farmer sold three more prized working dogs: Spud, Shaggy and Queen.
And in a strong run of prices, seven huntaways and two heading dogs sold for at least $9000.
Club spokesperson Brenda O’Leary said the scale of the prices had taken organisers by surprise.
“People can’t believe how much money we have turned over at the sale,” she said.
“There’s a shortage of quality farm dogs.”
O’Leary attributed some of the success of the sale to farmers having less time to break dogs in.
And top-priced Twix certainly fitted the bill.
She was described in the run-down as “honest, good-natured, easy to work and have around”.
Mufasa was also fully broken in and “a nice, powerful dog”.
Wilson conceded it could be hard to let dogs go to a new owner.
“I’m pretty adamant that these dogs have to go to a good home,” Wilson said.
“At the end of the day, they’re good mates of mine.
“They do a lot for you.
“But when someone’s paying top dollar like they have been, they’ve got to look after them.”
On average, huntaways fetched higher prices with an average of $6500.
That pipped the heading dogs’ average of $4700.
The event is run as a fundraiser for the Parapara-Makirikiri Sheep Dog Trial Club.
O’Leary said the auction entry fee of $150 per dog helps with the club’s running costs. She said most of the funds will be used to host their annual hill-country trial held at Parikino, which includes the cost of getting sheep to the trial.