AOIDH Doyle originally from Gorey, a market town in north County Wexford, Ireland now lives with his wife Darcy and their children in North-East, Victoria.
Both Aoidh and Darcy grew up on farms and know first hand the value of a working dog.
Aoidh is a shearing contractor and the operator of Whisper Kelpies and Livestock Services.
Darcy occasionally works as a shed hand, helping with the wool and penning up and sometimes getting the chance to muster.
On any given day they can take up to eight dogs to work to help move and muster stock.
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They also own cattle and sheep of their own, which they run locally just outside of Mansfield.
This is usually when the dogs get to help muster longer distances.
Aoidh has been trialling working dogs for the past five years.
In his first ever trial he was disqualified.
"Given his stubborn nature he was very determined to become the best he could become," said Darcy of her husband.
In 2022 in Tasmania, Aoidh got his first taste of an Australian national title.
"Again, he couldn't settle and this time wanted to see if he could try and win the double - both the Australian yard and kelpie field trial," Darcy said.
Aoidh's formidable winning streak kicked off on March 10 this year.
Winning the cattle section, the highest scoring bitch and the overall 2024 Cobber Supreme Stock Dog Challenge in Mansfield, Aoidh then set his sight on the Australian Championship Dog Trials.
Held in Western Australia at a small town in the south-west called Mobrup, Aoidh and his working dogs made the road trip, beginning their campaign at the 2024 Australian Yard Dog Championship.
"This event reflects the work done in the yard and shearing shed on the farm," said Darcy.
Challenging sheep and the heat took a toll on a lot of dogs however Aoidh and his dog Whisper Snip delivered a solid first round score of 82.
In the final the duo scored a 84.5 - the two highest scores of the event - taking out the win with 12.5 points to spare.
Next on the calendar was the Australian National Kelpie Field Trial.
This trial dates back to 1969 with handlers showing off their stockmanship alongside their trusted kelpies.
"It includes a paddock section where the dog is casted out to three sheep," said Darcy.
"The dog then guides the sheep directly to the stockperson before heading into a small yard section.
"This is followed by a final paddock section completing obstacles and finishing with the sheep in a small pen."
Snip had a good first round score going into the final.
"However, the competition was hot and the sheep were very challenging out in the paddock," Darcy said.
"Aoidh used both whistle and voice commands to complete the course and Snip tried her absolute best to be as accurate as possible."
Once again they came away with the win, on a combined score of 122.
And with the title, Aoidh and Whisper Snip also made history becoming the only handler/dog team to win both the Australian Yard and Field Trials in the same year.
At the end of the journey and having clocked up an impressive 10,000 kilometres, Aoidh and Snip then tackled the state championships at Pigeon Ponds, in South West Victoria.
The pressure was certainly on for the extraordinary team to perform again.
It represented a chance to further solidify the win and prove that this dog is a true champion.
Both Aoidh and Snip showed patience, skill and teamwork and were awarded the best cast for the championship, securing the win with a 21 point lead.
"All I can liken the win to is Hugh Bowman riding Winx," said Aoidh of the last few months of competing.
"Our achievement is that once in a lifetime experience that I will remember forever."
Aoidh isn't sure how much longer he will get to trial Snip as she is actually Darcy's dog, with Darcy keen to try her hand at the sport.
"Snip is not just the ultimate working dog that can move any type of stock for more than one person, she is a part of our family," he said.
"She has taught both Darcy and I more about stockmanship than we could ever have imagined."
