Wendy Schmaltz and her border collies Ky and Kelly swept the podium at the International Stock Dog Championships taking place on November 23 as part of the week-long Canadian Western Agribition in Regina.
Schmaltz, who is from McCord, had two border collies entered in the championships. Ky took first place and Kelly placed second. In the photo, Schmaltz and Ky accept the buckle for first place. The championships always attract a huge crowd to Brandt Centre where stock dog handlers use a system of whistlers or commands to guide their border collies. The handlers stand on a fixed spot while the dogs control three sheep, following a set pattern around barrels and through gates. They have four minutes to complete the course. The sheep are often less than cooperative making the course a challenge. Schmatlz’s stock dogs competed against a highly competitive field of 39 dogs.
For example, last year’s champion, Milton Scott and his border collie Josie from Airdrie, returned to try to recapture the championship. Each dog competed in two runs and the top five handlers and stock dogs moved on to a final. Schmaltz ranked in first place and fourth going into the final. The final included additional patterns to complete in the allotted time.
