Nathan Morris tops Australia’s largest working dog auction for the second year in a row Article & Photos - Kate Loudon, The Land
On the final day of The Working Dog Challenge, some
“It is nice to be rewarded for all the hard work you put in,
of the best working dogs were offered under the hammer
it takes a lot of time behind the scenes getting a dog going
with buyer interest from across Australia looking to secure
that well,” Mr Morris said.
a trained, well-started, or started Collie or Kelpie. “It is great that people are really starting to appreciate the Overall, 49 of 56 working dogs sold to a top of $22,500 to
value of a working dog.
average $7770. In the breakdown, 35 of 43 adult dogs sold to a top of $22,500 and averaged $9486, and 14 of 16 pups
“It is getting harder and harder to find people to work for
(under 12 months) sold to $7500 and averaged $3285.
you, particularly in agriculture, so people are relying more upon their dogs, so that is converting into value, that is the
Hitting the $22,500 high was Barru Lizzy, offered by
way I see it.
Nathan Morris, Forbes, and purchased through Stock Live to Hune Simpson, St George, Qld. The 18-month-old bitch
“Within Kelpies, there are more and more being bred and
was sired by Barru Luke out of Barru Mouse.
focused towards yard dogs, and they certainly have got their place, but those paddock mustering dogs are getting
This was the second year in a row Mr Morris had topped
harder and harder to find.
the sale at The Working Dog Challenge after selling Lokabe Purple (Poppy) for $24,000 in last year’s sale.
“The dog I had last year, and Lizzie this year, are both proper mustering dogs with a lot of brains and a lot of
Mr Morris said it was great to have the top-priced dog for
style, and there are more and more people searching for
the second year in a row.
those dogs.”
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