By Marcia Love
Get ready for a doggone good time.
The Western Canadian Stock Dog Championships and Maple Creek Open are coming to Maple Creek Aug. 27 to 29.
The finals will be held at McDougald ranch, with about 40 competitors from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia in attendance.
Notable stock dog handlers such as Ian Zoerb of Brooks, Alta. and Lee Lumb and Bob Stevens of British Columbia will contend for the title of western Canadian champion.
Local handlers will also be competing, including Dale Montgomery of Maple Creek, Jamie Van Rhyns of Shaunavon, Chris Jobe of Medicine Hat and Stormy Winters of Neville.
Herbert Holmes of Sanderson, Texas will be the judge for the championships.
“He’s the current president of the United States Border Collie Handlers’ Association (USBCHA), so we’re glad to have him coming out for this,” said Art Unsworth, an organizer of the event. “It should be a good time, with some of the most qualified handlers in the country.”
The USBCHA and Saskatchewan Stock Dog Association sanctioned event will have an open class and a nursery class for dogs 30 months and under.
The trial kicks off on Aug. 27 at 7:30 a.m. and continues on Aug. 28, with the double lift final taking place on Aug. 29. This will feature the top ten qualifying entrants from the two-day trials.
“It’s quite a challenging trial course,” Montgomery, also an organizer, said of the 400-yard circuit.
Maple Creek is host to one of the country’s longest running trials, as it began holding the Maple Creek Open in 1989. This will be the second time the community hosts the Western Canadian Stock Dog Championships.