Latest news with #dogcompetition
ABC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Australia's top working cattle dog named at national championships in Casino
Luke Aisthorpe and his dog Eva have taken home an $11,000 prize for top dog at the Australian Working Cattle Dog Championships. During the five-day event in Casino, New South Wales, 80 handlers and 180 dogs competed across 400 runs to get their shot in the finals for the national titles. The sport involves the handler directing their working dog to round up and move a mob of cattle through a series of obstacles on a course. Eva's win capped off an incredible competition for Mr Aisthorpe and the team of dogs he had travelled eight hours to compete with across the Queensland border. "I definitely can't complain … it's definitely well worth the drive down," he said. "There are a fair few names on the shield that are pretty successful dog triallers, so it's pretty cool to be on that too." The 25-year-old said that Eva, who was bred by his father, had not been the easiest dog to train. "She's got a few years of age on her now, she's matured up a little bit more, and she's just a good practical dog, and she was lucky enough that things went her way this weekend," he said. Mr Aisthorpe's dog Jaffa, Eva's sire, won the "sire shootout" before helping Queensland win convincingly over New South Wales in the state of origin match. "I had six dogs in the open, seven in the novice and four in the maiden, so I had a few dogs for the weekend," he said. Organiser Jessica Gall said there was stiff competition in the open finals. "We ended up taking top 30 in the second round, then we took another 15 for the final and then we ended up having a run-off for the first place," she said. "It was neck and neck the whole way through. Cream always rises to the top though, so the winner should be very happy with their winnings. "If you're lucky enough to draw good cattle and you've got a dog that can work them, then there were definitely some big scores up there to be had." Luck was not on Ms Gall's side during the open finals with her dog Ace. "Unfortunately, I drew a little bit of a testing beast in my final run, so I did a few points between the obstacles, but that's the way it goes," she said. "My dog Ace did really really well. I'm really proud of how he went, so I'm very happy with my result as well." While Queensland dominated this year, Clint Austin from the Upper Hunter ensured NSW took home the remaining big cheques and custom buckles. The Cassilis farmer won the maiden and novice titles with his eight-year-old border collie Duke. "I've only been trialling him just on two years now, so I'm pretty happy with him," he said. Mr Austin said the three dogs he brought to compete had plenty of work to do back home. "We're on a block down there. We just run all breeders, finish all our weaners off too, there's always a bit going on, they get used a bit," he said. A couple of other Queenslanders, Steven Elliott and Indi, who both starred in Season 2 of ABC Muster Dogs, were kept busy signing "pawtographs" for fans. "She loves the attention Indi does, and the little kids, and that's what it's all about … they all enjoyed it," he said. After top scoring in the first round of the open, Indi drew the wild card to be part of the Queensland state of origin team, before competing in the open finals. "We were lucky enough to beat NSW by 61 points," Mr Elliott said. "She was brilliant, and then she scored about 85 in the finals. She's had a great time. "We're pretty proud of her getting that far; she's come along really well." Mr Elliott also had dogs that made it to the "sire shootout", the maiden and novice finals. He said there was no secret or science to training some of the country's top working dogs. "It's just timing and hard work, and keeping a good, calm mind, I reckon," he said.
CTV News
12-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Pups fly for treats at 10th annual Renfrew canine dock jumping competition
A dog takes flight competing in the Canine Dock Diving competition in Renfrew on July 12, 2025. (Camille Wilson/CTV News Ottawa) Canine Watersports Canada (CWC) is hosting its 10th anniversary canine watersports event at Avalon Ranch in Renfrew. The event features a dog-and-handler team atop a 36-foot dock, adjacent a 45-foot-long pool filled with water with pooches of all shapes, sizes, age and breeds flying and landing in the water. The CWC is Canada's premiere dock jumping organization, bringing competitors across Ontario. The dog that can stay in the air the longest is crowned the winner. All dogs are welcome to register For those attending, the chances of getting wet with the doggy splash are high. This family-friendly event runs through until Sunday. For more information visit: Canine Watersports Canada - Canine Watersports Canada. More to come
CTV News
05-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Grand River Raceway goes to the dogs with annual Wiener Race
An annual tradition took place Friday at Grand River Raceway, bringing 30 Dachshunds to the race track to compete against each other.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Photos of top surfing dogs catching waves at Huntington Beach
Petey, a West Highland Terrier poses for a photo on his surfboard after taking first place for Small Dogs at the 28th Annual Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge Western Regionals Competition in Huntington Beach, Calif. on Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
ABC News
09-06-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Smiles at Australian Kelpie Muster as rain falls on drought-hit Casterton
Rain is usually unwelcome at outdoor events, but in the drought-stricken of Casterton there were smiles all around during the Australian Kelpie Muster over the weekend. "You could just about hear the smiles on people's faces," said event founder Jack Matthews. From Friday night to Sunday morning, 48.6 millimetres of rain fell in the western Victorian town — more than the rest of the year to date combined. Saturday's rainfall total was the highest since a huge hailstorm struck the town last October, damaging roofs and cars and creating ongoing disputes with insurance companies over who should pay for the clean-up. Since then the land has dried up and over summer, the region was also hit by bushfires. So an influx of thousands of dogs and their owners for a range of kelpie-themed competitions boosted locals' spirits and brought much-needed dollars to local businesses. The Albion Hotel and the Casterton Distillery, owned by Geoff Phillips with his wife Julie Phillips and stepson Jason Pope, still has scaffolding up as the roof is not fully repaired from the hail. Mr Phillips said the rain was "fantastic" nonetheless. The first kelpies were bred near Casterton in the 1870s. The first Casterton Working Dog Auction was held in the town in 1997, and the Casterton Kelpie Festival was made into a three-day event — Australian Kelpie Muster — in 2001. The top bids of $17,500 at this year's auction were for two south-west Victorian dogs — Billy, bred by Jack Leonard from Casterton, and Beloka Skye, from Ash Caruana in Penshurst. "These results reaffirm Casterton's reputation as host of Australia's premier working dog auction, where quality speaks for itself," Casterton Kelpie Association president and Glenelg Shire Mayor Karen Stephens said. Local farmer David Botterill said the social aspect of the event was important for Casterton. "There's a lot of people here that we know," he said. "You can connect with people, have a chat, debrief, talk about how everyone's going, what they're doing well … how they can improve. "Just getting off the farm … getting your head a different space and just having a moment out [is great]." The event brought visitors from all over Victoria and South Australia, and from as far afield as north Queensland. Anne Mallia has been coming to the muster from Melbourne since 2019, after buying her own kelpie. She launched her children's book called Mackie, after the kelpie, on Saturday. The story shares Mackie's challenges growing up, with parallels for children reading the book. "When this idea first came to my mind, I just wanted to share it with this community because it's meant so much to me and my family," Ms Mallia said. The event continues on Monday with a working dog school run by Daniel Ball from Sale, in Gippsland, who has volunteered at the muster for more than 20 years. He said the ABC TV show Muster Dogs had grown the public's interest in working dog training. "There's lots of people here and lots of opportunities to take," Ms Ball said.
