Australian Kelpie sells for record £19.2K at working dog auction

Eulooka Hoover is said to have a "cool personality"

An Australian Kelpie with a "cool personality" has sold for a world-record-breaking AU$35,200 (£19,228; $27,068) at a working dog auction.

Eulooka Hoover, a two-year-old "all-rounder" in herding, was sold to an anonymous sheep and cattle grazier.

The sale beat the previous record price for a working dog - a border collie who sold for £18,900 in the UK last year.

Kelpies are Australian herding dogs, first bred in the 19th century to be able to herd both cattle and sheep.

There were 51 working dogs and puppies for sale at the Casterton Kelpie Association's annual auction on Sunday.

A kelpie puppy also sold for AU$9,050 - another record for the auction.

Eulooka Hoover's breeder and trainer, David Lee, told local media that the dog has an instinctive way with livestock.

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"He's just so kind to his stock and just understands what's going on," he told ABC News. "He can stimulate their herd instinct and get them to do what they've got to do calmly, and he's just naturally like that."

He said the dog was equally skilled at herding sheep and cattle, making him a "great all-rounder", and added that he had a "cool personality".

"He's just such a happy-go-lucky lad," Mr Lee said. "He'll go to work eight days a week if you let him."

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