The old farm dog

Most of you may have a dog or two running around the house or farm, but the reason why probably is different than in days past.

I would say the biggest reason people have dogs today is for companionship and just being a dog, no major plan, other than to welcome you home at night after a hard day at work. I’m also not saying back in the day that there were not dogs kept for this also, but I think in general, most dogs had a job.

Probably one of the most recognized dogs might be the dalmatian from the iconic Budweiser commercials, and these dogs even had a purpose that some people may not know about. Dalmatians were bred as coach dogs for centuries. They would ride along in the fancy coaches of the day. When they would reach their destination, the dog would lie under the coach to protect it from would-be thieves.

There are many different breeds of dog with different purposes, from livestock working dogs to sporting dogs and guard dogs. Back then, they were all here for a reason; they had jobs to do. Even rat terriers had a very important job – they were very good at rat control, and rats were a very bad problem in the old days.

Even on the farm, most dogs held the position of friend, rodent patrol, guard dog and sometimes confidante. I think everyone remembers the dog they grew up with, whether it was a special working dog or just a lazy old porch puppy that liked to lay under the front porch on the old farmstead. But most of the time, if the dog barked at whoever came in the driveway or just passed by on the road, most were doing their job in the eyes of their owner.

It didn’t matter if your dog was a big old cuddle bug; if strangers saw a big dog barking as they drove by or drove in, it made them think twice about doing anything they shouldn’t be. I have known a good many dogs that looked the part as the mean-looking farm guard dog, but once you got to know them, you knew they would hold a flashlight for a burglar!

I remember well every dog we ever had here at the farm, and over 52 years there have been quite a few. I can name every one of them, just as though they were here yesterday. And we never had just one. We normally had two. When the old dog got up in years, we would then get a young dog or pup. It seemed to keep the old dog more active in their golden years. And I know it worked because our dogs seemed to live long lives, for the most part. Our dogs generally live into their teen years, and mostly a very healthy life at that.

We had all kinds of dogs, from large dogs and a few smaller dogs, but Dad liked bigger dogs mostly for the protection aspect of it. My dad used to say, “A man’s given one good dog in his life,” and the rest were just gravy.

My father used to tell us kids about the dog he had in Iowa. Dad used to feed lots of cattle, and that dog would guard the gates on several yards as he was feeding them. That dog would never let any cattle get out of a yard. Dad said it saved him lots of time getting up and down on a tractor opening up gates. He said she did have one vice that ended up being her demise. She liked to chase cars on the road, and one day, ended up chasing one last car.

Almost 9 years ago I lost my best dog ever. Mandy was her name, and she was a German shepherd and blue heeler cross. Most of my friends and neighbor remembered her. She had a bad habit of nipping at the heels of anyone who came in the yard. Not bad, just get-your-attention kind of nip. But she made up for any faults she had by the amount of help she offered around the farm. She loved to help work hogs, and I have seen few dogs that could stop a 500-pound sow as easily as she could.

At weaning time or castrating baby pigs, she was priceless. She would jump in the farrowing crate on the opposite side of me and make sure to keep the baby pigs coming so I could catch them and put them in the cart as we worked them. She knew enough to stay out of the sow’s way so she didn’t get bit, and the sows sure tried to, as they didn’t like Mandy going after their piglets.

When we sold feeder pigs, Mandy would move the pigs down the alleyway to the trailer; she just loved to move pigs. She was also pretty good at watching the cattle yard gate as you took hay in the yard or were hauling manure. It didn’t matter what I did, she was with me. Even doing field work, she would wait by the tractor just hoping we could go do something.

Mandy would ride the tractor all day long, and when I stopped for a drink of water, she got one, too. She had one bad habit when she was younger. When I was mowing hay, she used to love to chase the rabbits I would kick up, but she would just leap from the platform after them, and I was always afraid I would run her over. So I made her wait until I stopped before she could jump off.

She also learned early to stay clear of the horses, as they could kick pretty darn fast if she got too close. But that never stopped her from riding along behind the horses, either. If I hitched up a team to go rake hay or haul manure, she was ready to go along. And she rarely missed going for a truck ride. Any time I would start the truck and hook up to the livestock trailer, she was ready to go for whatever adventure awaited her.

Mandy was that one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime farm dog. I may have another great dog some day, and maybe I won’t, but I will always remember the furry family members we have had over the years.

Blessing to you all!