Last year we wrote about 18-month-old black-and-white Marchup Midge – the most expensive sheepdog in the world. But now, this pup of a former World Sheepdog Trials champion has lost the title. The Bob, a 15-month-old black and white male dog was sold for £9,240 ($14,000,). and thus broke the previous record of £8,400 ($13,500).
Border collie Bob was sold at Skipton Auction Mart by John Bell, 82, a retired farmer of Howden, East Yorks, who purchased the dog as a 13-week-old pup, for £315.
“He has been working since he was nine months old. He is a natural and I was expecting a lot of him,” Mr Bell said.
“He has a brilliant character but it wasn’t his character he was bought for, it’s his ability. His ability made him stand out. He is a very good dog. Everybody who saw him thought the same,” he added.
The buyer was a telephone bidder, who requested anonymity, though it is understood that the dog is destined for a new home in the United States, the Craven Herald reported.
Mr Bell started training sheepdogs as a teenager, selling them to local farmers for between £15 ($23) and £20 ($30). In the last three years, he has had three world record sales.
