Shepherd and dog pair win Hunterville Shemozzle for sixth year in a row

Angus McKelvie came out on top once again in the Hunterville Shepherds' Shemozzle race. Photo/ Bevan Conley

Angus McKelvie and his dog Red are champions of the Hunterville Shepherds’ Shemozzle for the sixth year in a row.

The Hunterville Huntaway Festival’s main race is the ultimate test of the relationship between a dog and its owner, with the pair having to test their endurance while navigating a crazy obstacle course and eating some gross food.

McKelvie said this year was his closest win yet.

“For a long time he wasn’t winning, and it was only because the person in front of him lost his dog for a minute and Angus managed to capitalise on that,” event organiser Christine Whinn said.

Red, his dog, is also six-time reigning champion.

“She’s very good. She stays pretty close and can do all the things she needs to do - she’s pretty reliable.”

McKelvie put Red through training when she was younger to build up her Shemozzle skills, such as going in a wheelbarrow, barking on cue, walking on a rail and being dragged along on top of a sack.

A lucky break with the weather for the 25th anniversary meant the streets were packed in Hunterville with a stand-out attendance.

As part of tradition, competitors in the races were also forced to stomach an unappetising snack.

Those taking part in the junior and intermediate races had to eat raw Brussels sprouts that had been in the freezer for a month, competitors in the teams’ race had to down a raw egg, and the shepherds had to eat a boiled sheep’s tongue that had been cooked in green food colouring.

Whinn said the shepherds’ reports were that the tongue was “very chewy”, but some felt it looked like a sausage and just ate it.

McKelvie said he made up a bit of time on the sheep’s tongue and it was “quite good”.

Despite it being a momentous win, McKelvie did not get too carried away celebrating his victory due to being “pretty knackered”.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.