VETERAN WINS

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30769, 5 June 1965, Page 8

VETERAN WINS

'J'HE 83-year-old veteran dog trialist. Mr Harry Harris, of Taihape, won this year's Australian national sheep dog championship trials held at Canberra. He is shown above with his six-year-old Border collie, Lucky, which won him the title and a handsome silver cup given by an oil company and a sash given by the Duke of Gloucester and held in perpetuity by the National Sheep Dog Trial Association. In addition. Mr Harris won a £lOO cash award and a return air trip to Perth for the Western Australian State championships later in the year.

Mr Harris’s victory in the 'championships came after 14 i years of trying, says the Australian News and Information Bureau. In previous national trials he had had seven dogs ; placed. This year Lucky had a score of 95 out of a possible 100 in each of the qualifying and final rounds.

Mr Harris, who has been training sheep dogs for 70 years, and Lucky, coaxed the three sheep used in the comi petition round the course with 43 seconds of the allotted 15 minutes to spare. Lucky got his name when, as a puppy of five weeks, he

■was the only one of a litter of five to escape the attention of thieves who stole the ■other four pups. Mr Harris’s grandson suggested the name. The Australian trials attracted an entry of 202 dogs this year and some of the competitors travelled up to 2000 miles to compete.