Montgomery and dog win international competition

Whether it’s counted in human years or dog years, Dale Montgomery has won the Farmfair International Stock Dog Competition more than any other dog handler.

The Maple Creek handler earned his third title at the competition in Edmonton Nov. 4 and 5.

He and his dog Ben were named the champions after completing the finals in a time of one minute and 51 seconds.

While he said the performance wasn’t as good as his dog had in the two preliminary rounds, it was enough to get the job done.

Montgomery was one of 42 handlers contending from across Western Canada.

In the preliminary rounds, he and Ben earned a time of 2:15 and 2:37 to place fourth and seventh respectively.

“I had a really bad draw of sheep on the second go around, and my dog had to just about back them up halfway through the course,” he explained. “It was hard to make up any time, but he did a terrific job of working them.”

The handler also took his young dog Sue to compete, mainly to give her more experience. The dog, who is a little over two years old, had a good run in the first round, but didn’t do so well in the second and failed to place.

In the finals, Ben’s performance wasn’t as smooth as it was in the preliminary rounds, but it was faster.

Montgomery’s other dog, Zip – with whom he won his seventh title at the World Stock Dog Championship at the Calgary Stampede in 2012 – is now slowly stepping into retirement. He didn’t take the nine-and-a-half-year-old with him last week as she is a bit lame, he said. But she may be competing with him at the Canadian Western Agribition’s International Stock Dog Championship Trials later this month.

The handler has been competing at the Farmfair International Stock Dog Competition since it’s start in 1995.

His third win there will be added to Montgomery’s long list of championship titles. He has won the World Stock Dog Championship seven times and the International Stock Dog Championship Trials eight times.

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