Dart Playing Dog Hits the Bullseye

15.11.2011

Jip the border collie dog has created a media storm after amazing people with her darts playing skills. 

Regulars at The Royds Arms owned by Lancashire-based brewer Thwaites have made Jip, an 18 month old border collie, the official pub mascot and an honorary member of the pub's darts team because of her extraordinary talent. 

Jip, trained by landlord and dog lover Kenneth Hughes, retrieves the darts from the dartboard by leaping into the air and carefully plucking them out. The athletic pooch then places the darts at the feet of the darts player ready to fetch again. 

Fetching darts is just one of Jip's many talents. Mimicking customers, she also likes to order a pint of Thwaites Smooth, pretending to put her money on the bar by placing her paw next to the pint after being served and having a cheeky lick of the head. She also amuses drinkers with her coin finding skills - sniffing out money hidden or rolled into different rooms in the pub and faithfully returning them to the owner. 

And if proof were needed that the public love a performing pooch, the story went national just moments after Jip starred on Northwest Tonight with coverage in The Sun, BBC Breakfast News, Talk Sport, Radio Five Live, Newsround, Radio 1 and even The Independent. 

Said landlord Kenneth: "Jip really is a great asset to the pub and the darts team! Visitors to the pub are amazed by how friendly and welcoming she is - it's like having an extra member of staff. This is a family pub so Jip plays with the children and customers often take her out exploring and on local rambles. 

"I bought Jip as a Christmas present for my partner Carol and I've spent a lot of time training her to do tricks. I've always had dogs and like to train them as they are so loyal and friendly. It's safe to say that Jip really is one of the family here at The Royds Arms. I might even take her to the auditions for the next series of Britain's Got Talent!" 

Andrew Buchanan, pub operations director at Thwaites said: "Jip really is an amazing dog and plays a huge part in the success of The Royds Arms, a great community pub. Kenneth, Carol and the team have been running the pub successfully for the past two years and Jip is a real character. We're delighted that she's such a hit with the regulars and a key member of the team. We'll be sending her some treats to be getting on with in honour of her services to the darts team!"