A Victorian canine athlete has the working dog endurance marathon in the bag with only a few days to go.
Wannon kelpie Skyblue Jack this week extended his lead to almost 300km over his nearest rival.
There are 12 dogs vying for the title of the hardest working farm dog in Australia and New Zealand in the 2021 Cobber Challenge.
According to his GPS collar, hard working Jack has already travelled an amazing 922.4km to put him in the overall lead in the three-week competition.
Now the interest has turned to whether Jack can put in a few more big days to reach an unthought of 1000km during the competition.
Last year's challenge winner Buddy and owner Glenda Rogan from Copmanhurst in northern NSW set a record over the three weeks of 835km.
Another big mover in this final week was the NSW entry Koby and Emma Stocks from Coolac who zoomed into second position.
The challenge is calculated on speed and not just distance.
Amazing six-year-old Jack from Victoria unintentionally extended his lead when someone left a gate open and two mobs of sheep were mixed.
"Jack's happiest when he's working, but he's stepped it up. I've never seen him so happy and fit. He's wagging his tail and running all day. He's just working so well for me," Ben said.
Ben and Jack work at Mepungah Pastoral in Wannon in Victoria's Western District. Split over a few properties, the operation spans 3200 hectares and they run 28,000 sheep and about 1000 head of cattle.
They have been working dawn to dusk most days - drenching sheep and checking on other mobs that are lambing.
The Cobber Challenge is in its sixth year. Organiser Kellie Savage, Cobber's Marketing Manager, says these dogs are on track to beat the record of 835 km, set by Glenda Rogan and her dog Buddy last year.
It is the first time New Zealand dogs have competed, and the country is represented by three Heading Dogs. Pine from Ashburton on the South Island is currently ranked the highest, after helping owner Cam Clayton move sheep for pre-lamb shearing.
The 12 competing dogs are wearing a GPS collar to record the distance, duration and average speed worked.
The Cobber Challenge runs for three weeks and finishes today, Sunday, September 5, with the Cobber Champion to be announced early next week.
The highest ranking dog at the end of the competition will be awarded $3000 in cash and one year's supply of Cobber dog food.
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Chris McLennan
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
