Close finish at indoor charity dog trials

Alister Ward of Balclutha and his dog Lace try to persuade the sheep to walk through the race obstacle in the Southern Indoor Charity Dog Trials. PHOTOS: SANDY EGGLESTON

A point and a-half separated the first two placegetters in the Southern Indoor Charity Dog Trials final recently.

Thirteen triallists took part in the final, which was won by Jack Ponsonby, of Alexandra, and his dog Blue.

Russell Peek, of Gore, and Kip were second on 96.5 points, Des Dysaght of Timaru and Baz were third, half a point behind.

Throughout the three days of the competition, held in the Agrished at the Southern Field Days, Waimumu site, a record number of 183 entrants attempted to move three ewe hoggets around an obstacle course to the finish where the sheep were shut in a pen.

Dan the heading dog watches as his owner Brian Dickison shuts the gate on the pen of three sheep at the end of their run.

Ray Stewart, of Gore, and his dog Ally finished fourth on 95 points.

After his run, Mr Stewart said it was the first time he had competed in the final.

He was very pleased with his run.

While luck helped, he believed people also make their own luck, he said.

The nature of the sheep was quite "bolshy" and hard to manage.

Ray Stewart, of Gore, looks to his dog Ally as he shuts the gate on the pen of three sheep.

"They would sooner knock you over than go around you."

Rather than trying to direct the sheep too much, he and his dog allowed the sheep to choose their own path and then guided them the right way while they were moving.

"Even if they were drifting offline a little bit, I was better to have them coming and flowing.

"I just didn’t take the lead off them."

If a dog blocked the direction where the sheep wanted to go they would stop and it was hard to get them moving again.

Levi McCall, of Waikoikoi, and dog Jane wait for the last sheep to enter the pen completely at the end of their run in the final.

When it came to crossing the sheep over the bridge he chose to stand on the side closest the audience, rather than the opposite side where most of the other competitors stood.

He had noticed that the sheep walked on to the bridge better when triallists had their back to the audience.

Ally kept calm and glided her way around the course.

"She didn’t spook them once."

He was a member of the committee which helped run the event and it was satisfying to have made the final after the volunteering hours he had put in.

Quentin Whitehead, of Gore, and Ted come to a standstill with the three sheep they are attempting to move on to the bridge obstacle in their run during the final.

It is the fifth time Andrew Herriott, of Heriot, had taken part in the trial and he has also judged the event.

He and his dog Flame ran out of time and did not pen the sheep.

Judging the event did not give him an advantage when it came to competing, Mr Herriott said.

Even though a judge knew how to score the course, what could not be known was how the sheep would react.

"Every lot of sheep is different."