Skyblue Jack is a true superstar

Glenlyon Jill, a dog from Highlands, near Seymour, has finished third in the annual Trans-Tasman Cobber Challenge for working dogs.

Skyblue Jack, run by owner Ben Jeffery in the Western District, took out first position —with 1000 km under his collar — in the three-week trial which recorded the dogs’ distance, time and speed.

Glenlyon Jill, owned by James Leahy, covered 630 km in the three weeks.

Bradley Dunlop and Roxy, from Wanganella, north of Deniliquin, were placed fourth.

Second was Koby, owned by Emma Stocks from Coolac, NSW.

“I’m in awe of my dog,” Mr Jeffery said.

Six-year-old Skyblue Jack mustered sheep for drenching, checked up on lambing ewes and showed his owner ones that needed help, and shifted sheep and cattle onto paddocks with more feed.

With the boss unable to get back to Mepungah Pastoral because of border closures, Mr Jeffery, Skyblue Jack and his kennel mates had to step up to get all this stock work done.

Those circumstances gave Skyblue Jack a leg-up in the competition and saw him clock a Cobber Challenge record of 1012.6 km over the three weeks.

They worked every day to record 87 hours worked and an average speed of 11.59 km/h. That’s an average of just over four hours and 48 km a day.

“Jack’s happiest when he’s working — I even had to hold him back on a few days to make sure he still had plenty in the tank,” Mr Jeffery said.

“He is thriving. It’s like my dear friend and stockman mentor used to say, ‘Take an old dog for a hard road.’”

Like any great athlete, this year’s Cobber Champion had to prepare for the Cobber Challenge.

Having been injured in a fight with another dog just months before the competition, once healed, Mr Jeffery gradually rebuilt Skyblue Jack’s stamina by taking him on nightly runs.

“I love my dogs; I couldn’t do my job without them,” he said.

“And I knew with Jack that I cracked a great bloodline, so it’s been awesome to put him to the test and capture just how hard he works.”

Skyblue Jack was among 12 working dogs from across Australia and New Zealand that competed in the 2021 Cobber Challenge.

Now in its sixth year, the Cobber Challenge organisers were thrilled to invite Kiwi farmers and their dogs to compete for the first time.