A farmer is saying “that’ll do” after auctioning his sheepdog for a record £19,451 – thanks to YouTube videos of her skills in action.
A British buyer bagged bitch Elan Valley Sally in the online sale after clips sparked huge interest during lockdown.
Kevin Evans, whose dad David sold the 19-month-old, said: “Dad knew Sally was something a bit special when he offered her for sale. She is a quality young bitch with a lovely temperament.”
Kevin, of Libanus, Brecon, posted vids of Sally in action because the pandemic hit sales – with people only allowed to travel five miles in Wales for leisure.
He said: “We didn’t quite know how things would work out with this selling format but it’s worked well.
“We produced videos for Facebook and YouTube, showing the dogs working in different situations, so people could take a good look at what was on offer.”
Rhys Davies, chief executive of Farmers Marts, said it was only the second time they had held an online auction for sheepdogs.
He added: “There was interest from many countries.”
The previous best of £18,900 was set in February when Northumberland shepherdess Emma Gray sold Megan, a two-and-a-half-year-old bitch, to American buyer Brian D Stamps.
