Work Is Cut Out for Canines at National Contest

Secondhand Rose is one lucky dog.

Rescued from a shelter and moved to the dry desert town of Joshua Tree, Secondhand Rose got a chance to do what dogs like her were bred to do: herd sheep. Her owner even bought a flock of the woolly creatures to help her practice.

“I always had the dogs and needed something for them to do,” said owner Amy Berry. “So I bought some sheep.”

The only U.S. herding champion to rise out of a shelter, Rose was in good company Wednesday, the last day of the national herding finals for the American Kennel Club’s Australian Cattle Dog Club.

The two-day finals drew dogs and owners from across the country to Two Winds Ranch in Newbury Park this week, showing off the best of a decades-old breed of cattle dog. The dogs--a mix of Australian dingo, collie, Dalmatian and kelpie--nipped, shuffled and corralled sheep and cattle across a broad dirt course.

Some, like Secondhand Rose, previously named a champion, earned points toward national recognition. Others, especially those pitted against particularly intransigent cattle, came away with their tails between their legs.

On Tuesday, Trevett, a 2-year-old, was one of a handful of dogs to corral the cattle successfully, garnering the highest score in the first day of trials. Oklahoma resident Chris Vohsen beamed as she stroked her little champion, showing the kind of pride that most people associate with mothers at graduation day.

“He’s great with everybody,” she said.

Originally scheduled to be part of the Ventura County Fair, the cattle dog finals were moved due to scheduling problems. But the new site did not hamper the event, officials said.

“It has gone very, very smoothly,” said event coordinator Joyce Rowland, adding that a record number of owners had signed up their dogs for the two-day confirmation, or beauty show, that begins today.

A rather specialized group with about 450 members nationwide, cattle dog owners and breeders agreed that the two-day trials were important for several reasons.

First and perhaps foremost, the trials keep the dogs in line with their roots.

“Keeping the herding instinct alive in the breed is really important,” Rowland said.

The event also funds different club activities, including cattle dog rescue, education and a dingo sanctuary in Australia. Craig Watson, vice president of the national cattle dog club, said there is another important issue underlying the two-day event: Many breeders use the finals to find breeding stock, he said.

For all the friendliness of the event, it did highlight a controversy over inclusion of border collies and Australian shepherds in the competition. The conflict is all the greater, some dog aficionados say, because the two breeds often win high marks.

“There was a lot of flak about my dog beating out the cattle dogs,” said John Harvey, owner of an Australian shepherd that won second place in Tuesday’s trials.

“Cattle dogs are good and they work great, but they’re a little harder to work” than shepherds, he said. “I think that’s where the tension comes in.”

Harvey’s dog, Osita, and Ben V, a border collie who won top honors Wednesday, will both perform at the fair Saturday in stock herding finals. The Australian Cattle Dog Club competition will continue with a confirmation show at the Oxnard Hilton today.