A TOTAL of 47 working sheep dogs are now due to go under the online hammer at Skipton Auction Mart’s first-ever virtual timed sale with real-time viewing to be staged over a two-day period next week, commencing on Wednesday, July 15, at 11am, concluding at 10pm on Thursday, July 16.

The entry comprises 36 fully broken, six part-broken and five unbroken dogs. The 22 from Scotland, England and Wales will be sold online on the opening day, with day two given over entirely to the solid entry of 25 dogs from Ireland.

Vendors from across the Irish Sea are always well represented.

As usual at the UK’s leading working sheep dog sales venue, the turnout comprises some top-notch impeccably bred dogs from foremost breeders, handlers and trialists.

Many are related to trials champions – national, international, supreme and world.

And while Skipton is renowned for achieving high prices, multiple world records among them, the inaugural online fixture again offers plenty of opportunities for potential buyers to choose from a good cross-section of readily affordable dogs - both solid broken entries for work and up-and-coming youngsters to further bring on and run in trials.

Among the 11 Welsh entries is a 10-month-old black and white bitch from Ceredigion’s Dewi Jenkins, of Tal-y-bont, who continues to produce some of the country’s most sought-after and top-selling working sheep dogs, many sold through Skipton,

His sole entry, the fully home-bred Tynygraig Jet, is a daughter of Kemi Taff, sold for top price of 7,600gns at Bala last October, out of Fly, a full sister to Mr Jenkins’ main stud dog Jock, who is also the father of another bitch and dog sold by the same handler at two recent online sales in Wales for £12,500 and £12,900 respectively.

Mr Jenkins will also be represented with Jock at next year’s rearranged World Sheep Dog Trials at Castle Howard Estate, near York. He is Welsh team captain.

Also from Wales, legendary trialist Kevin Evans, who is based near Brecon in Powys, is represented with a brace of well-bred fully broken bitches.

First up is the two-year-old Kemi Floss, whose sire is a Supreme Champion and dam an International Brace Champion, followed immediately by the younger 18-month-old Eve, by Mr Evan’s own Derwen Doug, a European Nursery Champion and Welsh National Brace Champion.

Three dogs from Shetland, Aberdeenshire and South Lanarkshire have been entered in the opening Scottish sale, which will be followed by ten dogs from English vendors, among them a trio of fully broken entries from Surrey-based handler Mark Banham, of Chipstead.

Two have already made their mark on the trials field. The three-year-old Jack won the South East England Nursery Aggregate, finished runner-up in the South East Nursery Final, competed in the English Nursery Final and holds an entry in the European Nursery Championship, as does Mr Banham’s second dog, the November, 2017, Bob, also placed in both the south-east nursery aggregate and final.

The strong Irish contingent features entries from Counties Down, Tyrone, Antrim, Donegal and Derry – from the last mentioned teenager and already accomplished trialist Shannon Conn, of Limvady.

As a 16-year-old in May, 2018, Shannon headed the Skipton selling prices at 6,800gns with a two-year-old bitch, Rosie, and is represented at the online renewal by a three-year-old dog, Grip (Gyp), already placed third in this year’s North of Ireland Nursery Final and also with Open points to her name.

Regular Northern Ireland vendor and buyer Seamus Gormley, of Kilcreen Sheep Dog Centre in Claudy, Co Derry, has three well-bred dogs on offer, one a two-year-old by Ricky Hutchinson’s famed trials dog Sweep, plus two older dogs by Mr Gormley’s own highly regarded Zac.

From Co. Donegal, several entries from Michael McHugh, of Milford, include a promising youngster, the January-born Mulroy Jack, whose sire finished third in this year’s All Ireland Nursery Final.

A pre-sale video catalogue can now be viewed via the working sheep dog section at www.ccmauctions.com where full details, terms and conditions of sale are also posted

There is also a facility to tap into live conference viewing with question and answer sessions the evening prior to each sale day. Scottish, English and Welsh vendors will be available for conference on Tuesday, July 14, Irish vendors the following evening.