Alternate working dog sale planned

A call is being made for vendors to sell their working dogs at a charity event near Gore next month.

Southern Indoor Charity Dog Trial convener Mike Joyce, of Wendon Valley, said an inaugural dog sale would be included in the three-day event at Southern Field Days Agricentre in Waimumu from Friday, August 18.

Vendors would demonstrate their dogs at the auction outside the agricentre from 2pm on Saturday, August 19.

All profits from the trial and sale would be given to Hospice Southland.

PGG Wrightson cancelled the 66th annual Gore Dog Sale at Charlton Saleyards this month, blaming a lack of entries.

Mr Joyce believed there was enough demand to warrant holding a sale.

"We picked the sale up because people are looking for heading dogs at this time of year."

After the Gore Dog Sale was cancelled, PGG Wrightson warned the event could be canned for good if there were not enough entries to its sale next year.

Mr Joyce said if that was the case, a dog sale would become a regular part of the charity event.

"We’ll see how this one pans out but we would be dead keen to carry it on and all the profit is going to the hospice. We get nothing out of it and we’ve given away more than $75,000 to charity in the past seven years."

Only one dog needed to be entered for the charity sale to proceed, he said.

"Whatever we get, we’ll put up.".

Vendors must enter their dog before the sale day.

To enter a dog costs $30 and a pup $10. A commission will be taken from the sale price.

shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz