By Marcia Love
About 50 handlers and dogs from across western Canada gathered in Maple Creek for the Western Canadian Stock Dog Championships and Maple Creek Open on Aug. 27 to 29.
The event was held at McDougald ranch south of town, with competitors taking part in the open class and the nursery class for dogs 30 months and under.
Ian Zoerb and his dog Freckles of Brooks, Alta. took the title of Western Champion, while Maple Creek’s Dale Montgomery and his dog Zip were proclaimed the Western Canadian Reserve Champion.
The winner of the Maple Creek Open Martin Cup was George Stambulic and his dog Kate of Cranbrook, B.C.
The Western Canadian Provincial Driving Champion Del-Mar Trophy was won by Ian Zoerb and Freckles representing Alberta.
Dale Montgomery and Zip placed first in the Double Lift Final Best Shed, while Milton Scott and Ben of Airdrie, Alta. won the Double Lift Final Best Pen.
Art Unsworth, an organizer and announcer for the championships, said some of the handlers he considered to be in the top 10 in North America were in attendance, including Zoerb and Montgomery.
“The level of competition was very high,” he said. “These (handlers and dogs) could compete against the world.”
Other local handlers present included Jamie Van Rhyn of Shaunavon.
Despite the rainy and cold weather during the finals on Aug. 29, Montgomery said the dogs and sheep were actually more co-operative.
“The dogs really enjoy it when it’s cold and wet, because the heat bothers them more,” he explained. “It was a lot more comfortable for the sheep, too.”
Montgomery supplied the sheep for the event, which he noted some handlers and dogs were having difficulty with, including himself and his three dogs.
“The sheep were pretty testy,” he said. “Some of the younger dogs had some trouble, but the experienced dogs that were up for it... handled them pretty good.”
The top 10 handlers and dogs who competed in the double lift finals saw an even more challenging course, as their dogs were required to herd two flocks of sheep to the centre of the field.
“It challenges the handler and the dog, because you’re asking the dog to stop his focus on what he has immediately before him and to blindly on faith and training go back and gather another flock of sheep that he does not see at all,” Unsworth explained.
Once both flocks are gathered, the dog then had to separate four collared sheep and herd them into the pen. Of the 10 finalists, only about five were able to gather both flocks. Only about half of those that succeeded were able to pen the four collared sheep.
Unsworth said the number of tourists who stopped in to watch the championships was impressive.
“We had spectacular days on Friday and Saturday,” he said. “People who had no idea what was going on were stopping in to watch. It was kind of neat to see.”
The western championships have not been held in Maple Creek since 1998.

Wendy Schmaltz and her dog Creed  of Beiseker, Alta. herd sheep towards a pen during the stock dog championships Aug. 27.       Photo by Marcia Love