THE first-ever South Korean purchaser of a working sheep dog at last month’s online-only sale at CCM Skipton reports that the dog has arrived safely, is settling in nicely and working well on his sheep flock.

Jaehoon Lee, who is based in Namhae-gun, a county in South Gyeongsang-do Province, located in the far south-east corner of the Korean peninsula, paid £6,900 second top call for the 15-month-old black and white Dog, Wyverne Max, offered for sale by Southern Finland’s Ian Dodd, of Mustajoentie, Laylianen.

It was a multi-international transaction that clearly illustrated and again cemented the power of the online selling system and its ability to match dogs with vendors and buyers globally.

Mr Lee’s new acquisition is a well-bred son of leading Welsh handler and breeder, Kevin Evans’ Derwen Doug, a European Nursery Champion and dual Welsh and International Brace Champion, out of David Meek’s Wyverne Meg, herself a daughter of a twice International Champion.

David runs Wyverne Border Collies in Maesteg, near Bridgend in Mid-Glamorgan.

As on many occasions at previous Skipton dog sales, both live and online, Mr Evans, of Brecon, was again top dog on price in June when claiming £7,000 with an 18-month-old Derwen Doug daughter.

Mr Lee, who farms close to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Haeinsa, a Buddhist temple that attracts many tourists, explained: “I have bought a lot of dogs from England. I am trying to be the best in the world and there is only one reason why I bought Max. His ability seemed very good and I thought he would be the dog I needed.”

Meanwhile, attention now turns to Skipton’s summer working sheep dog sale on Friday, July 29, which will be a live sale with field trials for broken dogs, again supported by both online and telephone bidding. Some 50 dogs will be forward, comprising both fully and part-broken, plus a number of unbroken entries, with a sales catalogue posted at www.ccmauctions.com