Tyrone man Declan McGee and his sheepdog are heading to the world cup

McGee said he always had an interest in sheepdogs but “for a long time I hadn’t seen anywhere to get involved in the sport”.

“Then there was a local introduction to sheepdog trailing and that was the start of my involvement, and I realised how huge the sport was worldwide.”

The bond between McGee and his dog Chip is unmistakeable when they train together.

With a few subtle blows of a whistle and specific voice commands, Chip responds immediately, herding the sheep in the right direction.

But McGee says he never imagined he would be competing on the international stage.

“I actually got Chip off a neighbour of mine who had a litter of pups, and I brought him to the farm and noticed he was really good at reacting to commands,” he said.

“When I decided we should give competitions a go, it probably took about three or four months initially to get him to a working standard, and then it was about developing skills after that.”