Cattle dogs round 'em up during trial circuit finals at fair

Dogs have been working cattle for hundreds of years while, out in the field, their handlers have praised their efforts. Now entire audiences can applaud some of the best cattle dogs and their handlers from the grandstands at the Wyoming State Fair, Sunday, Aug. 15. The Wyoming Cattle Dog Trial Circuit will start its sixth season in August. During the month, four trials will be held across the state during a tight two-week period. Those trials will be followed the finals at the Wyoming State Fair. “Jim Chant of Baggs, Wyo., had a vision several years ago of starting a cattle dog competition,” said Juan Reyes, who has worked with Chant to get the series up and running. Many people are familiar with sheep dog trials. Cattle dog trials have a similar purpose, to display a working dog's ability to effectively gather, move and hold cattle. “That is really important to the producer who is out there working his cattle,” said Reyes. “We want to show how dogs can work in real situations. We are mimicking what we do with cattle and these dogs out on the ranch,” he said. The competition consists of four parts: the outrun and lift, a fetch, a drive, and the finish. To start, the handler and dog begin at the base of the course with the cattle at the opposite end. The handler sends the dog out and around the cattle. This is called the outrun and the lift. Then the dog brings the cattle down the coarse back to the handler, trying to keep them in a straight line. Next comes the fetch...more