Barney Jamieson, a five-year-old, long-haired German Shepherd – a reasonable canine reflection of his owner, young ruckman Callum Jamieson, earned a place in West Coast Eagles folklore by winning the Stevie Simpson Cup at Floreat Dog Beach today.
Barney powered down the course, edging past AFLW forward Aimee Schmidt’s best friend Ziggy, a lively Border Collie, to claim the seventh running of the event by a whisker.
The dog in whose honour this highly-anticipated dash across the sand is named, Stevie Simpson, owned by coach Adam Simpson, started once again but no longer possesses the explosive pace that saw him triumph four years ago.
Today’s event marked a day when the field broadened to include several pooches from the women’s squad, as well as a ‘celebrity’ starter from the Shenton Park Dog Refuge Centre. Wowee, a cute three-month-old puppy who boasts stunning staffy features, had no chance of winning against the mature competitors, but lapped up the atmosphere and the experience.
The Dog Refuge Centre is in need of permanent homes for about 150 dogs and the connection to today’s race, featuring about 30 dogs all of whom interacted excitedly, gave Wowee an insight into life in a loving family environment.
For Jamieson and Barney it was an exciting start to the day after Jamieson picked up the finely tuned athlete from his parent’s home on the way to the beach.
Barney soaked up the media attention and when media commitments were completed it was into the water for a well-earned dip.