A Talybont trainer has proved to be top dog once again at a sheepdog sale in Yorkshire.
Declaring as he took to the trials field at Skipton Auction Mart’s Spring Sale of working sheepdogs that it was the best bitch he’d ever brought to the leading north Yorkshire venue, top Ceredigion handler and trialist Dewi Jenkins readily backed up his claim when his three-year-old Llwynsarn Non netted top call of 14,000gns (£14,700), eclipsing the rest of the field by 10,000gns.
Dewi, of Tynygraig, Talybont, has been responsible for multiple top price Skipton dogs at both live and online sales in recent years – he was again top dog on price by a country mile with an £18,100 online sale this March.
The man of the moment in the working sheepdog world arrived at the latest fixture with another impeccably bred entry by his main stud dog Jock, the reigning ISDS International Supreme Champion, with whom he also represented Wales at last year’s BBC One Man and His Dog final.
Another daughter of Jock set a then new world record price of 26,000gns for the Welsh wizard.
His black and white Non is out of Llwynsarn Eve, bred in north Wales by Hefin Jones, himself a former Welsh National champion, with Dewi’s latest success proving a real family affair, as the bitch was reared until 10 months old by his girlfriend, Sara Lewis, then trained by Dewi and also used for two lambing seasons on his sister Sara Jenkinson’s neighbouring farm.
Both Dewi and his sibling also ran Nan successfully in novice and nursery trials respectively.
Having been mated earlier this month to fellow Welshman Aled Owen’s Llangwm Bud, the 2022 Reserve Supreme Champion behind Jock, Non now looks set to produce yet more top-class progeny, as well as being primed for Open trials.
She was the subject of avid ringside, phone and online interest, eventually falling to an online bidder from the Welsh borders who requested anonymity.