Sheep dog sells for £15,000 at auction in Skipton

Cap, who is sixteen months old, sold to an anonymous bidder in Northern Ireland

A sheep dog has sold at auction for almost £15,000, setting a new British record price according to auctioneers.

Sixteen-month-old Cap, bred in County Donegal, was sold at a sale in Skipton, North Yorkshire.

Previous owner Padraig Doherty said the price was "much higher" than anticipated. The town's auctioneer said dogs tended to sell for around £2,000.

The sheep-dog was sold to an anonymous bidder from Northern Ireland and will be used as a working dog on a farm.

Cap's sale price of £14,805 easily surpasses a previous record sheep dog sale of £9,240 in 2013, Skipton Auction Mart said.

A spokesman for the auctioneers the high price was due to Cap being "very well bred", and related to a champion sheep-dog.

Mr Doherty said he had put in a "sparking display" on a trials field in front of potential buyers.

"He is a special dog with genuine power and has a calming effect on sheep," he said.

Hound for pound

What else would £14,805 get you?

• 29,610 cans of 385g dog food

• 370 outdoor dog kennels

• 26 Porcelain dog food bowls made by Versace