The Aussie rules! Dan, a seven-year-old Australian shepherd trained by Okotoks’ Billie Richardson, became the first dog other than a border collie to win World Stock Dog Championship in its 22-year history at the Calgary Stampede on July 11. “This is a very prestigious win for us,” Richardson said from her Y-Knott Farm southwest of town. “It’s not easy. You have to be prepared, and border collies dominate, they just do.” The championship has a dog controlling three sheep around a set of barrels on a course up and down the infield at the Nutrien Agriculture Arena. The dog and handler’s goal is to lead three sheep into a pen after going around seven obstacles. The dog earns a point for each sheep it gets around an obstacle. Those points are combined with the time to determine the champion. Dan turned the sheep around the barrels like Kurt Bensmiller turning his horses around barrels — quickly and penalty free. He scored a perfect 21 points and got all three sheep in the pen in a blistering one minute and 37 seconds in the final go-round. Dan finished 12th in the first go-round of 60 dogs and then sixth in the second go-round on June 10-11. He was seeded sixth out of the 12 dogs who made the finals — they all start with a clean slate. “Dan was very consistent both days and I felt very good going into the final,” Richardson said. Of course, the other 11 dogs were border collies. “Dan was confident and calm — he knows what his job is,” she said. “I knew our time was pretty good and it was going to be hard to beat.” Richardson had to watch six other dogs round-up sheep before she knew she had the fastest time and the $10,000 cheque. An upset, but not a surprise. Dan has a proven record. He was the first Aussie to ever run in the finals the United States Border Collie Handlers’ Association championship. Dan doesn’t do it alone. His stops, turns flanks, forwards and other manoeuvres are controlled by the whistling of Richardson. “Our job is to navigate our dogs through whistles to get the sheep through the course in as fast and courteous manner as possible and get him in the pen,” Richardson said. “And you want the most points in a fast time.” She got the stock dog bug about seven years ago after watching various trials. “I saw a field trial and I thought it was the coolest thing I ever saw a dog do,” Richardson said. She was trained by Scott Glenn from the Lethbridge area, who Richardson called the “Wayne Gretzky of dog handlers.” The first dog she bought, Dan, came from a litter in the eastern United States. “He was $1,400 US, that was kind of expensive at the time, but I knew in my gut that I definitely wanted to own the dog outright,” she said. Money wisely invested. “Dan is very keen, we look for a dog who comes forward – he doesn’t hesitate to walk into sheep or cows,” Richardson said. “He’s fast, he’s a good flanker.” Dan also has a passionate handler. “I love how these dogs love to work,” she said. “They love what they do. I do lessons here with corgis, Rottweilers, different shepherds. As long as the dogs enjoy doing what they are bred to do, I can’t get enough of it.” Dan and Richardson will next compete outdoors near Spokane in a field trial in two weeks. He has also qualified for the United Sports Border Collie Handlers’ Association finals in California at the end of September. At first glance, a person would never know Dan was a champion stock dog. He is Richardson’s best friend, following at her heels. And despite being top dog in the world, Dan wasn’t above enjoying a tummy tickle from a total stranger — showing that famous ever-expanding dog-lips smile. “He’s absolutely my buddy,” Richardson said with a smile. “Every day I tell him he’s the best black dog in the world. I am so grateful for him.” For more information on the world stock dog championships go to calgarystampede.com. For information on Y-Knott ranch Google Yknottranch. To see a link of video of Richardson’s and Dan’s championship run go to https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2123499067663556&id=194784093868406
