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| Down Under |
| 7th Annual Cat Round-Up In Meekatharra |
| 2005-03-05 |
| Western Australia - It started out as a wager some years ago, that a certain Australian Shepherd dog named "digger" could herd house cats the way his breed are known for herding sheep. So several men who live near the city of Meekatharra in Western Australia started what is becoming an increasingly popular sport: cat herding. Meekatharra was once known for its open pit gold mine, long since abandoned, but while the pit might seem a good place for the competition, it is held on a large open field instead. The objective is for five ordinary cats to be set together in a group, then the dog must herd the cats to a cage, some 10 meters away. No mean feat, even for a highly skilled herding dog. The cats are just strays, with no previous experience in being herded. And while the task would seem impossible for anyone to perform, the rare dog has actually succeeded in getting them all in the cage. Par performance is usually only a single cat being caged. Killing or seriously injuring a cat costs a dog points. Truckloads of caged cats are now imported for the event, a given cat only being used once before being turned loose. Beginning with the 4th Cat Round-Up, extra spice was added to the event by awarding the owners of the top dogs with illegal firearms and ammunition in addition to a sizeable purse--something guaranteed to attract the harshest scrutiny from the Australian government. But no one in the closed fraternity has yet been arrested. And because the animal welfare movement in Australia if far less powerful than its English or American cousins, prospects are small that enforcement will happen, at least for the next few years. But what started out as a local event of a few friends eight years ago has grown as an underground, and unlawful, sport much like cock fighting in the US. It is the ultimate contest for Shepherd owners, and some have come from as far away as Scotland to participate. Last year's event drew a crowd of several hundred, yet was either not known to the local authorities or was ignored. The banning of fox hunting in Britain has assured this years' event to be a sell-out. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #7 The 'Shovelware' guy is a bit overboard. It bothers me that there are folks who feel comfortable passing judgment on entire professions, rather than weighing the merits of each individual in turn. Prejudice is never acceptable, whether in matters of race or vocation. Yeah, lawyers are needed in society. But there are few professions that have carved themselves such a niche. Lawyers creating law is like morticians designing wellness routines. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-03-05 11:21:18 PM |
| #6 To call Meekatharra a city is stretching things. Its a typical old Western Australian mining town, population officially 2,000 people (but cities out in the bush tend to encompass a lot of land and the town itself is probably no more than a 1,000) and 500 kilometers from the nearest permanent police presence. I stayed in the town's pub/hotel once. BTW, releasing the cats is their big mistake. Feral cats are a huge problem here eating their way through the native fauna to the point native animals under 3 or 4 Kgs have almost completely dissapeared except for some offshore islands. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-03-05 10:58:53 PM |
| #5 In the same vein as the Miller commercial was this classic EDS commercial about, what else, Herding Cats. One of my all-time favorite vids, heh. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-03-05 8:10:39 PM |
| #4 I think we should save the lawyer stock for the rodeo and substitute PETA-heads for the cats in this herding contest. The penalty for death or injury could become a bonus. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2005-03-05 7:41:46 PM |
| #3 Who can forget Miller Brewing Company's great "Lawyer Rodeo" commercial from 1993? PC was still a rising force in those days and there were howls of protest from those concerned with the well-being of lawyers; that is, lawyers themselves. I remember one shyster actually trying to sue Miller over this commercial, alleging that it would bring his profession into disrepute (ha ha). The beer maker's own lawyers told him basically to lighten up and the suit was dismissed. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2005-03-05 7:35:38 PM |
| #2 Lawyers are good replacement. |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-03-05 7:17:51 PM |
| #1 The sport has possibilities..except here in America we'd have to substitute lawyers for cats, 'cause>>PETA. |
| Posted by: attorneynot 2005-03-05 7:13:08 PM |