Scots buy top sheepdogs at Skipton's online sale

Leading Welsh breeder and handler, Kevin Evans, Brecon, produced that top seller with his three entries totalling £24,100.

The prolific trials winner with now fewer than five ISDS International championships to his name, topped the trade with the fully-trained 17-month-old brown, white and tan bitch, Tilly. A daughter of Mr Evans’ Swedish-bred stud dog Middery Frank– an open trials winner whose progeny often claim high prices, she is out of fellow Welsh breeder Natalie Matthews’ Martini Sky.

Carol Mellin's Pentre Bet pictured at the 2024 Hebredean Circuit trials championship, made £8500 selling up to Sutherland Tilly sold to accomplished trialist, Kenny Donald, of Dalrymple, who although retired from farming, has retained some 100 head of sheep as a hobby.

Mr Evans also took £7000 for the tri-coloured Scottish-bred Storybrooke Guy, acquired from Sandy McCulloch. Fully broken, this January 2022-born dog is a son of Avon Roy which won trials in the hands of Michael Gallagher. The dam is Lynn, bred by Sweden’s Caroline Joelsson. Guy heads out to Germany having been purchased by Lara Sander, Bergheim.

The final entry from Mr Evans, Talley Roxey, a six-month-old red and white bitch, topped the unbroken entries at £2300. Roxey is sired by his own Thornbury Max, a dual Welsh nursery champion last year, and out of Huw Williams’ Kemi Cass, a daughter of Middery Frank. Roxey remains in Wales when claimed by Meryl Evans, who farms near Corwen, Denbighshire, with her husband Arwel.

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Local handler and trialist Carol Mellin, of Moor Lodge, Oakworth, produced the second top priced dog at £8500 with her February, 2021-born black and white bitch, Pentre Bet. Another well-bred daughter of Tanhill Glen, out of Iwan Rees’ Nell, sold to equally accomplished handler, Jock Sutherland, Sangomore, Durness.

Placed second overall out of 70 plus dogs in the 22/2023 nursery season, Bet has amassed 120 National points, having won the Old Snap Pennine hill trial, The Yorkshire open trial, together with the championship, and the 2024 Hebridean Circuit trials championship.

Two broken entries made £5100. First was Harrogate’s Peter Simpson with his May 2022-born black and white dog, Frank, a son of RB Hutchinson Hendre Taff, he found a new home in Kendal with CP and AG Bateman.

Selling at the same price was the rising four-year-old black and white bitch, Bosley Belle, from Cheshire’s James Gilman, Macclesfield. By S Cottrell’s Jim, she is Surrey-bound after falling to Gillian Woolsten, of Horley.

Carnforth beef and sheep farmer Colin Birkett took £5000 for his February 2022-born black and white bitch, Netherbeck Floss, the last remaining sister in a litter sired by Jedbergh handler Frank Hickson’s Chase, out of the home-bred Millie. She sold to Falkirk’s Joshua Bain.

Laura Hinnekens, Auchengray, South Lanarkshire, was another in the money, taking £4800 for her December 2021-born black and white bitch, Gelli Annie. Bred in Wales by David Howells and by his Dick, Annie heads home with Ellen Smith, Kinross.

Mary Turner, Campbeltown, forked out £4500 for the May 2022-born Meg, from 23-year-old Rossendale shepherdess and trialist, Janine Ashworth. Her brown and white bitch was bred by SC Wayman and is sired by his Tom, out of Sunset Pip.

Also heading north, Alice Muir, Caithness forked out £4300 for Alf Kyme's blue merle, Rockface Blue, again from Rossendale. This January 2021-born dog is a son of DR Wood’s ISDS ROM (registered on merit) sire Blue, out of Northern Ireland breeder Shannon Conn’s Peg.

Matching that price, Lynburn Dick, a May 2021-born black and white dog from Chris Caygill, Kirkudbright, bred by C Kirkland’s Sweep, sold down to Derbyshire with S Percival and Sons, Duffield.

Aberdeenshire's Geordie Simpson, Huntly, took £4000 for his black and white bitch Lexi, a February 2023-born daughter of his own Lad, out of KW Brehmer’s Thistle Down Fern. She too remained north of the border when selling to Farquhar Renwick, Garve, Ross-shire.

Also heading north, Stuart Patterson, Perthshire gave £3100 for the March 2020-born black and white bitch, Nedwin Beca from Logan Williams, Carmarthenshire.

One of the youngest entries, Kype Hill Tess, a mid August-born bitch pup from James Campbell, Strathaven, made £1150. She is out of the breeder's own Kype Hill Mist and sold down to Ludlow with Neville Bird.

The 52 dogs forward achieved an 80% clearance rate, with registered broken dogs averaging £3822; registered broken bitches, £5315; part-broken registered dogs, £2200; part-broken reg bitches, £1438. Unbroken and pups averaged £1650.