The record price paid for a working dog in Australia has been broken after a sale in the New South Wales Central Tablelands.
Capree Stud from Newbridge south of Bathurst sold a 20-month-old kelpie for $49,000 at their sale yesterday.
The previous record was set by Hoover, a male kelpie from western Victoria, who sold for $35,000 in 2021.
"I think it's fair to say she's on the market" the auctioneer cried as the bidding moved above $46,000 before eventually going to local buyer Ross Gilmore from nearby Black Springs.
Mr Gilmore from Tattykeel Australian White Stud is no stranger to breaking records having recently recaptured the record for the top-priced meat sheep in Australia selling a ram for $240,000.
Capree Stud owner Chris Stapleton said new record dog Capree Eve was a result of more than 50 years of breeding.
"That little bitch I sold here today goes back to some of the dogs that I started with," he said.
"She's beautifully bred; I first showed her sheep when she was about eight weeks old, and she went straight to work."
Mr Stapleton said all his dogs sold well amid strong demand for working dogs at the moment.
"It's good to see that people appreciate years of work and breeding that I've put into my dogs," he said.
"It's a lot of money but I'm sure the reason she made that much money is that people do appreciate the breeding she's got behind her."
World record kelpie
The Australian Sheep Dog Workers' Association believes Capree Eve's price tag is a world record for a kelpie although more has been paid for different breeds of working dogs overseas.
The association's president, Michael Grant, called it an amazing price and a great result for the industry.
"I suggest this is probably an extreme price and will bring a return from its genetics," he said.
"All the farm inputs have gone up and it's not unreasonable that dogs should to."
He noted the gradual reduction in farm workers over the years and increase in livestock has seen a steady growth in demand for the dogs.
"The stock being worked per man or women has probably doubled," he said.
"The need for a good dog has never been stronger."
