Even on a modern, mechanized ranch, nothing can replace a good sheepdog.

"There are a lot of things that a good border collie can do that a machine can't come close to doing," said Mark Petersen, founder of the Soldier Hollow Classic Sheepdog Championship. "They will work for eight, nine years, seven days a week from dawn 'till dusk, and thank you for the opportunity."

Tens of thousands of people apparently agreed, coming to watch 63 elite dogs compete in the championship over Labor Day weekend. The crowd at Soldier Hollow Resort in Midway will likely top last year's total of 24,600 and set a sheepdog championship record, Petersen said.

The dogs in the invitation-only contest each had 24 minutes to perform a series of tasks with 16 sheep, including separating out a group of marked sheep from the flock and putting them all back in a small pen.

The final scores were based on the overall efficiency of each dog. The competition wrapped up Monday.

The gold medal winner was Jean Gellings of Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and her dog Star. The silver medal went to Faansie Basson of Swellendam, South Africa and his dog Jill. Lavon Calzacorta of Wilder, Idaho, brought the bronze-medal winner, Tess.