Staffordshire farmer looks forward to working with £27k dog

A border collie bought for a record-breaking £27,000 will not get any special treatment, her new owner has said.

Twelve-month-old Kim was bought by Eamonn Vaughan, a farmer from Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, in an online auction.

He said he had bid because of her pedigree and standard of training.

The sum eclipsed the former world record of £20,000 paid for a border collie from Brecon in October.

Guinness World Records reported the average price paid for a working dog was about £2,000.

Trained by Dewi Jenkins of Talybont, near Aberystwyth, Kim is believed to be as well trained as most three-year-olds, Mr Vaughan said.

"[Dewi is] a phenomenal breeder... I'm not a sheepdog trainer. I've got to get her loyal to me," he added.

"It'll take her a bit of time before what she does for Dewi she does for me."

Buyer Eamonn Vaughan said Kim was "very advanced" for her age

After watching her last month, Mr Vaughan said Kim was "probably the most advanced sheepdog at that age I've ever seen".

He said he immediately told his wife that he would buy her, but suspected there would be plenty of interest from USA and Europe.

Sara Williams from Farmers Mart, which oversaw the sale, described Kim as "an all-rounder" and "very stylish to look at".

"She's got a lot of skills, she could do a bit of everything - she can do farming work as well as trialling," Ms Williams said.

"Working farm dogs are very important, they are invaluable really."