Kaelene Forsyth and
her dog, Gypsy. Photo courtesy Calgary Stampede.
Out of 53 entries, the new top stock dog handler in the world is 24-year old Kaelene Forsyth of Eriksdale, Man. An excellent performance by Forsyth and her dog Gypsy in the arena trial had their assigned three sheep in the pen in 1:17 and earned Forsyth the World Stock Dog Championship and $10,000. “I’ve been competing for twelve years,” Forsyth says. “I started when I was twelve years old. I’ve been working dogs since I was eight.” Each dog was required to collect three sheep, guide them around a demanding obstacle course and down a chute into a pen. It was a timed event; the dog could take no more than four minutes. Tyler Harker of Coaldale, Alta., and his dog Huck got the sheep to the pen in 1:19. Harker was recognized as having the best aggregate score. “It’s an honour to run here with this calibre of handlers,” says Forsyth.