A black and tan bitch, which resulted from that coupling, so impressed a young stockman by the name of Jack Gleeson that he offered to buy her. Robertson refused to sell and instead gave the pup to his nephew. Gleeson, undeterred, in the dead of night on the Glenelg River offered his horse in exchange for Robertson's nephew's pup. Nancy Withers of Pomanda Working Kelpie Stud said Gleeson had an eye for the new breed's potential. One hundred and thirty years later, Gleeson's eye for a good dog was confirmed when hundreds of prospective dog owners lined up at the fourth annual Casterton working dog auction.
Organisers believe it is the only such auction in Australia and perhaps the world.
Ian O'Connell, organiser of the Working Dog Auction has spent hundreds of hours and no small amount of his own money organising the event. Mr O'Connell says he first came up with the idea for an auction 10 years ago, when he was at a clearing sale. For 15 years, Dave Sweatman of Glencairn Kelpies, has been a professional dog breeder of the quintessentially Australian canine, with a work ethic second to none. As a member of the Working Kelpie Council and one of just a few full status registered breeders, Nancy Withers was at first a bit wary of the auction system. While I'll try and talk to prospective buyers at an auction, if you don't know the person, it could be anybody at the end of the day.