A new record auction price for a border collie has surpassed the previous highest bid by almost double, selling for $30,100 at the annual Geurie Golden Collar where 44 of 48 dogs sold to an average $6302 and went to five states.
The Helmsman event ran for one week before closing officially at 2pm on Saturday but it seems bidders left their fury for the last minute with most of the bids taking place during 30 minutes of over-time.
Cabra Glebe Big, bred by the Leven family at Doubtful Creek, doubled in value during that half hour, with $100 rises ringing through on AuctionsPlus every 30 seconds to eventually going to a North Queensland cattle outfit. Second priced FL Search, bred from imported UK genetics by Rob Hodgman at Pinkett, rose from $6400 to $21,500 after the official cut-off time, going to the Walgett district.
Breeder Joe Leven, Cabra Glebe at Doubtful Creek via Casino presented the two year old - named for his big size at birth - as a tough, willing working dog, words echoed by sale organiser Ryan Johnston who noted his "super-cool, calm manner" when working.
"He has a tough nature but he is calm and gets the job done with the bare minimum of effort," Mr Johnston said. "He's a real credit to Joe and his handling."
Big was the first son of a yellow sire named Brutonvale Junior out of a champion litter bred by Steve Flatley, Casino. Big's mother was another yellow Border Collie bred by Glen Handford, Casino, with both sides going going back to strong Brutonvale blood.
Mr Leven, who has worked with dogs since he was a child and credits Doubtful Creek district tick inspector Maurie O'Meara for teaching him how to direct without so many words. He now breeds working dogs with his wife Benita and children Samara and Amos and said years of selection had produced the dog Big with desire and the right temperament.
"All I had to do was teach him to stop," he said. "The good ones will teach you and he's taught me as much. I'm a big believer in sitting back and letting the dog do the work naturally. Don't try to put too much human into the dog. Don't try to over-handle him, just try to shape him up because in a real work situation a dog needs to think and fend for itself."
Mr Leven said the record bid reflected the "raging cattle market" but the value of a good working dog went well beyond the sale price, when placed side by side with a working man.
"It's a good investment over five or six years," he said. "When you consider the national skills shortage and for a producer to find those skills and retain them - well, a dog that has done his apprenticeship and is ready to hit the ground running, adds value to a cattle operation."
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