Skipton sheepdog auction forced online by coronavirus

Sheepdogs can often fetch up to £5,000, said auctioneer, Jeremy Eaton

Working sheepdogs have gone under the hammer in a two-day auction held online for the first time in its history.

Skipton Auction Mart, which has been running sheepdog sales since 1993, began its virtual sale at 11:00 BST.

Twenty-two dogs from Scotland, England and Wales will be open for bidding on the first day, with 25 dogs from Ireland to follow on Thursday.

Auctioneer Jeremy Eaton said: "It's a new one for us, with buyers expected across the world."

The dogs are normally brought to Skipton, in North Yorkshire, to be sold, attracting large crowds.

But coronavirus restrictions have meant this year's two-day event will be online-only.

Mr Eaton said the dogs were almost all border collies and included two types, broken and unbroken dogs, which are at different stages of being trained.

"The high values are for the dogs which are almost trained. The dogs can often make between £2,000 and £5,000, although we sell in guineas at the auction," he said.

A guinea was worth one pound and one shilling in pre-decimal days, or £1.05 now.

• More from Yorkshire

The auction normally attracts large crowds but has gone online due to coronavirus restrictions

Some dogs are bought mainly to work on farms but others will be sold primarily for sheepdog trials, Mr Eaton explained.

"Normally it's just a fantastic meeting point for people from all over Europe and farther afield to come and talk about sheepdogs.

"People gather in the car park and it's [about] a lot more than just the price," Mr Eaton added.

A border collie from Northumberland became the world's most expensive sheepdog when it was sold to an American ranch owner for £18,900, in February.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or send video here.