World Stock Dog Championship
Calgary Stampede – Saddledome
Calgary Stampede’s prestigious World Stock Dog Championship is North America’s richest indoor stock dog trial.
The 14th annual World Stock Dog Championship, presented by Halliburton, will start with 60 teams, hailing from all over the continent, on Sunday, July 11 at 8 a.m. in the Pengrowth Saddledome. But only one handler-and-canine unit will be left holding the $10,000 winner’s cheque following the 7 p.m. final on Monday, July 12 at the Saddledome.
In each of the 8 a.m. go-rounds on Sunday and Monday, and the 15-team final on Monday evening, dogs will have four minutes to guide three sheep around a demanding obstacle course of barrels, through a chute and into the pen. Last year’s champion, Pam Boring of Pink Mountain, B.C., and Mirk, eclipsed Diana Gauthier of Lumby, B.C., and Keen-Eye-Teag by one second, the closest finish in the competition’s history.
“The World Stock Dog Championship is one of the most prestigious stock dog trials on the continent,” notes Greg Alexander, who chairs the Stampede’s Sheep committee. “This is the largest crowd most of these handlers have ever worked in front of . . . and after more than 10 years, this event has made a name for itself. It brings in the foremost professional handlers in North America, and they’re coming on a regular basis.”
Dale Montgomery of Maple Creek, Sask., has been a near-permanent fixture on the Stampede winner’s trophy over the years, his five victories coming in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2008.
The Stampede’s World Stock Dog Championship, which began in 1997, is sanctioned by the United States Border Collie Handlers Association and the Alberta Stock Dog Association.
