by Angharad Evans, Welsh Language Communications Officer
Every shepherd or shepherdess has to rely completely and put 100% faith and trust in the relationship with the farm's sheepdog. A good sheepdog is essential for the day-to-day work of the farm, as there are remote locations on every farm that a four-wheel vehicle cannot access. But sometimes the relationship develops so well that a shepherd ventures into the world of training and selling sheepdogs. And this is the story of a young member from Ceredigion, Rhys Griffiths, who has recently been enjoying considerable success.
Rhys has developed a keen interest in training sheepdogs, but where did the interest start? Here is Rhys to explain more: “My interest in sheepdogs goes back to my upbringing - sheepdogs were used on the farm at home for work every day. From a very young age I watched my father, Idwal Glant train a number of sheep dogs in the field near the house. Mum also used sheep dogs with her daily work on the farm. I used to enjoy going with Dad to sheepdog sales in Bala, Sennybridge and Skipton, and the interest has only grown since then.
"By now, the sheepdogs are a key part of my life and I have developed an interest in training and selling them over the last few years."
Recently the pleasure and enjoyment has turned into success for Rhys: "The sheepdogs have brought me considerable success during the lockdown period, as several auctions have developed to sell online. I have definitely taken advantage of the dogs being staged online as they have attracted the interest of potential buyers across the world. This meant that I was able to expand my contacts and come across buyers that we might not have met if the auctions had been face to face.
"Last year, I was lucky to get a good price for a dog called Bryniau Celt at the Skipton online sale. More recently, I sold Glant Bob, a fifteen month old dog after showing videos of him working with sheep and cattle at the Dolgellau online auction. Bob showed potential to be a prosperous farm dog, or an excellent trial dog as well, so that's why I believe there was so much interest, and the reason I got the best price I've received for a dog so far. It was sad to see him leave for Scotland, but glad to hear that he is now happily settled there."
But what next for Rhys? “I have a couple of young sheepdogs that are showing potential, and I am excited to see the results of my training. I intend to continue training sheepdogs hand in hand with the farm work. Training the dogs in their day to day work is beneficial for me, and also beneficial for the dogs as they are able to develop and be challenged during their working day as well as in their training.
"Training sheepdogs brings me a lot of enjoyment and pleasure, and I look forward to developing my skill further. The recognition I have recently received is a source of great pride for me and I am very grateful for all the help and guidance from professionals in the field, along the way."
Rhys and his family are members of FUW Ceredigion and the county is proud of his success. "Congratulations to you Rhys! Nice to see a young farmer from Ceredigion being successful. Good luck to you in the future," said Mari Davies, FUW Ceredigion Deputy County Executive Officer. I'm sure we all want to support Mari's words and wish Rhys well in the sheepdog world.