It's back! Remember 'One Man and His Dog'..? The TV Channel More4 is screening the World Sheep Dog Trials, taking place on the Lowther Estate in Cumbria from the 15th to the 18th of September.
It seems that since the 1980's the world has gone trials crazy; stats on the internet show trials in Utah in 2010 were watched by more than 25,000 spectators. Mind you, trials are not the wholly British invention you may think with New Zealand claiming the first event in 1867. The first UK event was held in Bala, Wales in October 1873, organised by Richard John Lloyd Price who went on to form the Kennel Club in the same year.
The inaugural world trials in 2002 were won by Welshman, Aled Owen, who won again in 2008 and is a favourite to regain his title this year. 240 dog and man/woman teams from 23 nations will compete in the Lake District for the £3,000 first prize. The winner will also receive a solid gold shepherds whistle.
More4 are using the same production company behind ITV's coverage of Formula 1 motor racing, North One, so we can expect to see GPS trackers, accelerometers and heart rate monitors on the dogs. The latter might have made interesting viewing on the human handlers too.
That'll do... (pig).
http://www.worldsheepdogtrials.org/index.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/countryside/8749386/World-Sheep-Dog-Trials-in-Cumbria.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/sep/12/dog-v-sheep-sheepdog-trials
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