• World Record Top Price – $35,200 – David Lee of Edenhope with Hoover.
• New record sale price for Kelpie pup over 3 months at $9,050 – Paul MacPhail.
• $3m record surpassed with Joe Spicer’s dog Vandal taking the honours.
• First ever Online Working Dog Auction.

Smashing all previous records, today’s Casterton Working Dog Auction went to new heights with an eye watering world record of $35,200 paid for a working Kelpie by a sheep and cattle Grazier from North East Victoria surpassing the previous record of $22,200.

Casterton Working Dog Auction Chairman, Rob Pilmore said that a good dog is well worth every dollar given the amount of work it would do on an average day. Bred by Edenhope local David Lee, his kelpie Hoover has set his name in the history books.

Rob said that the market can see the value of what these quality working dogs bring to the day to day lives on the land, so prices such as these are not surprising.

The Casterton Kelpie Association was forced to send their 25th Annual Working Dog Auction to a totally online platform at the last minute due to the Victorian covid restrictions.

With association President, Karen Stephens saying we really didn’t know how the online platform would go – but the results today have simply been amazing with over 2,800 on line bids throughout the auction and 28,650 views of the catalogue in the two weeks leading up to auction day.

From the 51 lots on sale the auction amassed a total of $298,600 for their lucky owners and with a new record average of $7,753 for a working dog, it was a very pleasing result across the board.

And the pups got in on the act as well with the previous highest price of $2,800 being smashed over the back-paddock fence with a whopping $9,050 paid for one of Paul MacPhail’s pups.

The Casterton Kelpie Association 25 years ago started the annual Working Dog Auction out at the local saleyards and turned over a total of $6,000 and gave away pups that didn’t sell.

Fast forward to 2021 and this year the $3m dollar mark was exceeded with the sale of well know breeder, Joe Spicer’s dog Vandal.

Casterton is the Birthplace of the Kelpie breed and have cemented their brand annually with the Australian Kelpie Muster which celebrates all things ‘kelpie’ with the Casterton Kelpie Festival on Saturday and then the annual Australian Premier Working Dog Auction on Sunday.

For further information and media interviews contact Karen Stephens on 0417 527 200 or by email.