Dogs, farm life, and an idea was all Natasha Reichlin, Deborah Armstrong, and Crystal Smith needed to begin Cariboo Stock Dogs in Quesnel.
The trio founded the organization in 2023 after all three of them got puppies from the same litter and wanted to keep the brothers and sisters close. They also were getting started with stock dogs and wanted to bring events in the industry to Quesnel for the community and to lessen travel to other events.
Stock dogs are furry friends that can herd cattle. This past weekend (Aug. 16-17), Cariboo Stock Dogs presented the Wild and Woolly Small Field Trial at Alex Fraser Park, which was free to the public.
“It’s one of the newest events to come to Western Canada and B.C. in particular,” said Reichlin to Black Press Media. “It’s a demonstration of the stock dog scale so they can be on sheep or on cattle, this weekend its a sheepdog trial."
Herding/stock events have been popular in England and Wales for a long time and gaining popularity in Western Canada.
“Basically there’s a dog-human team who practiced many, many hours and worked really hard and they have to try to work a group of sheep through some set obstacles so there will be some gates and some panels and a pen and they have to move them through these obstacles and they get points for every obstacle they do properly," explained Reichlin.
Reichlin explained there is different levels of competition from open (the most advanced) to novice/beginner. For those in the open competition, the dog has to herd the sheep through the course in a four-to-five minute span, listening to its human from their handler's post, who can have up to eight whistles commands for the dog to follow. In the novice/beginner level, the handler can run the course with the dog.
“We’ve just started this club two years ago and people love having the opportunity to come showcase their dogs,” said Reichlin, who added there were 40 dogs in this past weekend's event from across western Canada (B.C., Alta, Sask.), and even from Washington State, which helps Quesnel economically.
“They bring in tourist dollars for food and staying is really wonderful, it’s just good for everybody," added Reichlin.
Now, why do the stock dogs herd sheep? Reichlin said it's an easier animal for residents to own and for training the dogs.
“I am strictly a cattle rancher but if you’re training a puppy, it’s easier to teach them on sheep, they won’t hurt the puppies as much as cattle could, but they’re also easier to keep," said Reichlin.
For the past two years, on top of the events, Reichlin, Armstrong, and Smith runs drop-ins and practices for dogs around the community to give herding a try.
“We have a big, big group in Quesnel who come practice regularly, some agility dogs who like to practice on sheep and some are really dedicated," said Reichlin.
The sport also isn't limited in breed as every dog can give it a go.
“Of course, there are several breeds that were bred specifically for working stock, but there are many breeds that like to work stock and for our club, we don’t care - we’ve had golden retrievers, little corgis, mixed-breed dogs, and rescue dogs and they can all come out because if they enjoy it and their owner likes to do it with them, we don’t care," said Reichlin. “They learn so fast, they’re brilliant dogs, they’re bred to do this and they love to work with their owner, you can tell this is what they live to do."
Anyone can take their hand at the sport at one of the practices, which all take place at Alex Fraser Park.
"We’re kind of like enablers, we just keep pushing them on everyone," said Reichlin.
Reichlin added the company couldn't have created this ecosystem over the last two years without help from the Quesnel community, calling it "absolutely amazing."
“Quesnel is a wonderful town for that community support," said Reichlin. She added people show up to the multiple events they host every year and kids want to pet the stock dogs. They've had many community sponsors support them including food trucks and companies that set up vendors at their events selling leashes, dog toys, and more.
“It’s a real fun atmosphere," said Reichlin. “It’s a club of like-minded people, it’s a wonderful, wonderful group and I love being part of it."
