Sonora, CA – A spunky canine that won “Farm Dog of the Year” surprised many attendees at the 107th California Farm Bureau Annual Meeting.
Meet Willy, a miniature dachshund, not the typical breed thought of as a farm working dog. At the meeting held in Anaheim recently, Willy earned the $1,000 Grand Prize in the fifth annual California Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year Contest. Open to members, the competition involves submitting photos of the pooch and answering questions about them.
Two-year-old Willy, adopted in February 2023, belongs to Marshal Hagedorn, owner of Hagedorn Forestry Management, a Shasta and Tehama counties tree feller and cattle runner in the Montague area near the Klamath National Forest. Along with his girlfriend, Bailey Thomas, they quickly noticed that Willy became an active member of the ranch, helping control critters like rabbits and ground squirrels. He has never been trained to corral livestock and uses his bark and energy to move calves and even larger cattle.
“That’s just it. He’s so small, and when he comes out of the grass at full speed, they don’t really know what to think,” shared Hagedorn.
State Farm Bureau officials provided this list of the winners:
- The first runner-up honor, and a $500 prize, went to Jim, a border collie owned by Kelsey Nichols of Solano County. At Nichols’ 3,000-acre Rio Vista Ranch, Jim is known for his loyalty and hard work. After losing a hind leg to infection, Jim is now back to his regular duties.
- Second runner-up, and $250, was awarded to Corduroy, owned by Sam Terpstra of Stanislaus County. The labradoodle enjoys hunting for pests and “earns his keep every day, patrolling for gophers and joining in on daily tasks,” Terpstra said.
- Third runner-up, and $100, went to Sheila, an Australian cattle dog who catches gophers, digs mounds, and brings joy to everyone on the vineyard managed by her owners, August D’Amato and Ben Forgeron of Napa County.
