HANDLERS from Northern Ireland set the pace on price with fully-broken entries at Skipton Auction Mart’s ‘live’ winter sale of working sheep dogs, the opening 2023 fixture. (Fri, Feb 24)

Top dog at 4,000gns (£4,200) was a stylish and fully home-bred rising one-year-old black and white bitch, Tara, from regular vendor Willie Torrens, of Killen, Castlederg, in Co. Tyrone. Out of his well-proven dam, Glencregg Gyp, also mother to another well-bred bitch that headed the Irish selling prices at £4,600 at an online-only Skipton sale last March, and by another solid work dog, Ben, Tara found a new home in Hertfordshire with Tring beef and sheep farmer, Sophia Lagus.

She made the near-400 mile round trip to the North Yorkshire venue in the hope of finding a good replacement work dog for her beloved Pip, who had passed away unexpectedly aged 13 just a week before the sale. By renowned Scottish handler Bobby Dalziel’s acclaimed trials dog Joe, Sophia described her late loyal servant as “a truly marvellous dog.”

Tara clearly ticked all the right boxes and, showing lots of potential, will now go to work at Sophia’s Alnwick Farm home. She first started farming as a 16-year-old in the 1970s, currently buying in dairy-cross Aberdeen-Angus rearing calves, fattening them to 22 months before resale, while also running a flock of 35 pure-bred Charollais sheep.

Next best and close behind at 3,950gns (£4,147.50) was Declan Neary, of Sheeaune, east of Westport in County Mayo, with his April, 2021, black and white bitch, Eve, out of Brian Farrelly’s Kemi Eve and by Stuart Davidson’s Dan, both Open trials winners.

Declan, who farms Mayo Blackface Mayo Mountain Ewes and was making only his second visit to Skipton, saw Eve go north of the border to join successful online bidder Tom Elliot, of Hindhope, Jedburgh. The family is renowned for its traditional South Country Cheviot sheep and pedigree Galloway cattle, as well as themselves breeding working sheep dogs across many generations.

Again travelling across the Irish Sea, Daniel McAllister, of Cargan, Co. Antrim, sold a brace of 3,000gns-plus entries, his best at 3,700gns a 13-month-old black and white dog, Nidge, by Paddy Fanning’s Bruce, who finished third for the Co. Wicklow handler in the 2018 Irish National. Out of Sean Byrne’s Fly, she joined regular buyers, the hill farming Harrison family in Shap, high on the Cumbrian fells.

The same vendor also made 3,500gns with an older June, 2021, black, white and mottled bitch, Meg, going to Northumberland with N&N Hindmarsh, of Harbottle, Morpeth, A third McAllister entry, a May, 2021 black, white and mottled dog, Spot, also found a buyer at £1,850. Running the trio on the trials field was good friend and travelling companion Michael McAlister, himself a regular vendor at Skipton.

Also claiming 3,500gns and top price for a Scottish vendor was David Young, of New Cumnock, East Ayrshire, with his well-bred October, 2021, tri-coloured bitch, Straid Cider, by Willie Welsh’s 2022 Scottish National Champion, Cap, out of the breeder’s own Straid Rustie. The granddaughter of Aled Owen’s 2015 Welsh National and International Supreme Champion, Llangwm Cap, went to Penrith in Cumbria with B Page.

Hitting 3,200gns and heading the English selling prices was Jan, a January, 2020, black and white bitch from returning vendor Paul Bouch, who farms North of England Mules at Kirkoswald in Cumbria’s Lower Eden Valley. By Brendan McAllister’s multiple trials winner Spot, of out AJ McKeegan’s Jess and already having reared a litter of pups, Jan sold locally to Lothersdale’s Geoff and Margaret Booth.

Also from Cumbria, RN Westgarth, of Askham, Penrith, made 3,000gns with a second January, 2020, black and white bitch, Gill, who returned to her county of origin with Cockermouth’s J Teasdale.

The latest field sale, again supported with real-time bidding, attracted an entry of 47 fully, part and unbroken dogs, with 26 successfully finding new homes. Once again, the venue offered a comprehensive selection of dogs of varying abilities for multiple tastes and pockets. Broken dogs were available from £500, with, outside the chief prices, five selling at £1,000-£2,000, plus a further five at £2,000-£3,000.

A small entry of unbroken youngsters sold to a top of 480gns for the eight-month-old tri-coloured Storm from Scottish vendor Bob Munro, of Eaglesham, Glasgow.

Prices and averages: Broken Registered dogs from 550gns to 3700gns, av £2153, Broken Registered bitches from 500gns to 4000gns, av £ 2678, Registered Dog Pups from 160gns to 480gns, av £309.

CCM’s general manager and auctioneer commented: “During the sale there were consistently 40 registered online buyers ready to bid, plus 70 viewers, in addition to a busy field side. Trade was selective and with farms about to embark on lambing there was limited interest in raw part-broken dogs, but still a decent trade for well-broken entries.”

Imminent is the next working sheep dog sale at Skipton this coming Tuesday, March 7, which reverts to an online-only format. A catalogue can be viewed at www.ccmauctions.com