Top Working Dog Fetches Staggering $26,000 at NSW Auction
A remarkable working dog, Sapphire Tiger, has set a new benchmark at the recent Jerilderie Working Dog Auction in southern New South Wales, commanding a price of $26,000. His trainer, Josh Everingham, asserts that the investment is entirely justified, highlighting the dog’s exceptional versatility and innate talent.
“No matter what you put in front of him, whether it was cattle, sheep in the paddock, sheep in the yards, goats, he worked them all to a very high level,” Everingham explained. He further elaborated on the significant time and effort involved in training a working dog from scratch. “If you were to buy a pup, you need to reserve at least three years until you can get them up to that stage, and that’s spending two or three times a day… working them.”
Sapphire Tiger was among 53 dogs that went under the hammer at the Jerilderie event. The auction saw an impressive average price of $9,500 per dog, a substantial increase of over $2,000 from the previous year.
Warwick Doolan, the auction coordinator, attributed this surge in prices to the current economic climate within the agricultural sector. “When prices for livestock are high, people are prepared to pay more for dogs to muster them,” Doolan stated. He also pointed to another critical factor: “The shortage of reliable labour in the agricultural sector also has a lot to do with that. Cattle can be tricky to work without a large amount of staff or a team of good working dogs.”
The market clearly values experience, with trained dogs at the Jerilderie auction averaging more than $11,600. This figure more than doubles the average of $5,750 for dogs still undergoing training.
The Indispensable Role of Working Dogs on Australian Farms
Marlene Brewer, an alumna of the popular ABC TV series “Muster Dogs,” underscored the vital contribution of working dogs to her cattle operation near Bingara in northern NSW. She described the current labour market as “almost impossible to find” and emphasized her reliance on her star border collie, Hudson, and his canine companions.
“A working dog is the quiet workhorse behind any livestock enterprise,” Brewer remarked. She confidently stated, “Three of my dogs easily replace three to five people and it takes very little to keep them happy to turn up each day.”
Brewer believes “Muster Dogs” has significantly raised public awareness of the crucial role working dogs play in rural industries. “The thing that Muster Dogs was able to bring to showing people is that bond you create with your working dog, it is the thing that makes… managing any livestock much more successful,” she said. “I think the concept of building a team of working dogs is the difference that is going to make things in a livestock enterprise more profitable.”
* A skilled working dog expertly herding sheep during a demonstration.
New Horizons for Working Dog Sales
This year also marked a significant milestone with the inaugural working dog sale held in the New England regions of Walcha and Nowendoc. Organiser Maddie Davidson expressed her hope that this event will become a regular fixture.
“My husband and I have working dogs and we’ve seen an increase in dog sales… we like to be able to see a dog, pat it, touch it and see it work,” Davidson explained. She observed a growing appreciation among buyers: “I think people are starting to realise you can rely on your dogs to turn up every day for work… they are quickly replacing humans [on the farm].” The top-priced dog at this new regional auction sold for $11,000.
Jerilderie Auction: A Community Pillar for Over Two Decades
The Jerilderie Working Dog Auction itself boasts a rich history, having been managed by a dedicated team of volunteers for 21 years. During this time, the event has raised over $500,000 for local charities, supporting a wide range of initiatives.
“From small things, like helping children in times of hardship go on a school camp or buy some school shoes or books… right up to major projects,” Doolan outlined the diverse impact of the funds raised.
* A line-up of eager working dogs awaiting their turn at auction.
Despite the significant financial transactions and the presence of over 300 attendees, the star of the show, Sapphire Tiger, remained remarkably unfazed by the auction day’s commotion. “Loudspeakers, auctioneers walking around the ring, hundreds of people, loud noises and I don’t think Tiger knew,” Everingham recounted. “He just knew that he had seven or eight sheep he needed to get around the arena and that’s what he focused on.” This unwavering focus on the task at hand is precisely what makes these canine athletes so valuable and sought after in the demanding world of Australian agriculture.
