Kelpies stolen from Taralga/Goulburn: "If you see the dogs advertised on social media contact the rural crime officer at Goulburn police station"

[Panto]

I've used the subject to highlight awareness around the stolen kelpies around the Goulburn area but pasted the article as it appears on ABC. 

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-06-11/kelpie-fetches-record-price-casterton-auction/9857018

 

Kelpie attracts record price of more than $22,000 at Victorian auction

 

Updated yesterday at 19:08

First posted Monday at 15:16

Two-year-old kelpie Glencairn Seven was sold at Casterton for a record price of $22,200.

 

(Supplied: Tash Frankensteiner)

Can you imagine paying $22,000 for a dog?

The price record for a working farm dog was smashed over the weekend, with an undisclosed buyer in Victoria paying $22,200 for a two year old kelpie called Glencairn Seven.

It was bred by Jerilderie breeder Christian Peackock and sired by his dog Pud's Cruiser out of a bitch owned by Dave Seatman called Sunraysia Clair.

The previous record for a working dog was $14,000, set in March this year.

A second dog broke that figure at the working dog auction in Casterton over the weekend, with Ian O'Connell's bitch Lessi Sally going for $16,500 to stockman Jamie Partridge.

High price, but good value

Chair of the annual kelpie muster Karen Stephens said the prices reflect good times in the wool industry and the value of a working dog on farm.

"They replace an employee basically, they're a faithful servant and they don't get superannuation," Ms Stephens said.

People fly in from all over Australia for the auction and telephone bids are also taken from overseas buyers.

"Purchasers all need to see the dogs before the auction and there was a huge crowd at the demonstration the day before."

Sixty dogs were auctioned for a total over $260,000 with an average price over $5,500.

Dog theft on the rise

Police are warning dog owners to lock up their properties after a spate of dog thefts in the southern highlands of New South Wales in the past three weeks.

 

FB stolen kelpies

Four working dogs have been stolen around Goulburn and Taralga, including an eight-month-old, yellow and white-coloured kelpie and three five-month-old red kelpie puppies.

NSW Rural Crime Coordinator Detective Inspector Cameron Whiteside said working dogs are not only worth a lot of money, but are also part of farmers' livelihoods.

"It’s not just something where you replace them and get a dog like the last one you had, a lot of effort goes into it and there’s a time lag when they have to replace them."

If you see the dogs advertised on social media contact the rural crime officer at Goulburn police station.