PROPERTY manager Martin Holzwart, Fletcherview, Charters Towers, surpassed his own record at the 2019 Ag-Grow Working Dog auction with an NT buyer parting with $8000 for Brutonvale Randy.
A year ago Mr Holzwart sold a young bitch for $7400 to set the standard and was quietly confident of a good result when he offered a Border Collie dog on June 22.
But he was "pleasantly surprised" on two fronts when Douglas Taylor prevailed in a keen bidding.
"That sort of money is relatively common in NSW or Victoria, whereas we up here seem to undervalue working dogs," said Mr Holzwart, who also runs Kanda Working Dogs as well as managing Fletcherview for James Cook University's research unit.
"But it's good to see a change in that regard.
"Working dogs can add so much value to a business. They can do the work of two men and save the owner anything up to $15,000 a year.
"Randy is two and a half years of age and can probably work solidly until he's seven or eight so you can do the sums and see what sort of benefit they provide.
"I'm also keen to promote the working dog in the north and with Randy going to Darwin you can't get much more north than that so I am really pleased to get the price and have one of my dogs in the Territory.
"This was the third year I have been to Ag-Grow and I will keep going because it's a great opportunity to show the worth of working dogs.
"The more people see the trials and visit the sales, the better it will be for everyone in this section of the livestock industry."
Brutonvale Randy is a son of the NSW-based Brutonvale Royce, and was one of 12 dogs to sell at Ag-Grow where the average was a healthy $3800.
A spokesman rated the sale as "among the most successful" held in conjunction with Ag-Grow.
Besides the sale, the Open Working Dog Trial was won by Winton's Steve Elliott with Diamantina Shell.
They took honours over Glenn Dickson and Chelbrook Millie (Chelbrook, Emerald) while Paul Wroe and Brutonvale Jatz (Natel, Middlemount), Steve Biles and Biles Jenny (Rockland Spring, Rolleston) and Glenn Dickson and Chelbrook Flirt shared a three-way tie for third. Dickson and Chelbrook Becky were sixth.