A SOUTH East working dog has set a new record by clocking up 717km over three weeks to claim the title of Cobber Champion.
Border Collie Jed is one of 11 working dogs from around the nation that competed in the 2019 Cobber Challenge, which is a three-week competition where dogs from each state wear GPS collars to track their distance, speed and working duration on farm.
The four-year-old canine from Conmurra ran the furthest of any competitor in the Cobber Challenge’s four-year history, covering the equivalent of 17 full marathons in three weeks.
The previous record was set by 2017 competitor Flow, who Jed beat by just 1km.
Jed’s owner Peta Bauer said she was not surprised by Jed’s success, but was left astounded by the distance her loyal pooch covered.
“I knew Jed did a lot of work, but the fact that he was consistently doing so many kilometres each day just shocked me,” Ms Bauer said.
“His stamina is amazing.”
Jed seized the top spot at the end of day four and relentlessly held on, fending off consistent pushes from runner-up Bonnie, owned by Sam Wright in Queensland.
“We’re on a smaller intensive farm and there’s a lot of stock movement, but looking at Bonnie, she’s on a bigger cattle place, you see longer straight lines, bigger distances between things,” Ms Bauer said.
Bonnie was slightly faster than Jed, running at an average speed of almost 8kph over the three weeks.
Mr Wright believed Bonnie might just be the toughest dog he’s owned.
“She went twenty-one days without a break and was as keen to go on the last day as she was on day one, so I think she does pretty well,” Mr Wright said.
“I was really surprised to see the kilometres Bonnie did on the days we were drafting and shifting mobs around the smaller holding paddocks compared to the longer days mustering in the larger paddocks.”
Jed brought this year’s competition to an international audience, with friends of Peta watching on from Belgium and the UK.
Ms Bauer said Jed is now taking a well-deserved break while the ewes head into a lambing paddock for some peace and quiet.
“It’s been a great opportunity to see what Jed and other dogs are doing and how much effort they put in on the farm,” Ms Bauer said.
“You take it for granted until you see the data come through – I could not do it without him.”
Competition organiser Kellie Savage said the best part about the competition was the ability to recognise dogs as a key part of the farming community.
“The great thing about this competition is the recognition it brings to working dogs and the loyalty and commitment they offer on Australian farms,” Ms Savage said.
“They’re not only great mates to our farmers, but they also create a safer work environment and are often vital to keeping the farm running in a cost-effective way, especially during drier times like now.”
