Our Best Dog Zip/a sweet memory

[Faster horses]

I was looking for something and came across this old photo of our best dog, Zip.
She was a protector and a wonderful cowdog. She served us faithfully for many years.
Her joints started bothering her and we gave her medicine daily in a hot dog. She must
have gotten sick of cheap hot dogs because she would spit the hot dog out and swallow
the pill. She NEVER barked at a cow and she NEVER backed down from one. She was great help
and a real partner. However, she was very protective, maybe too much so. Someone
gave us a cartoon that said, "Zip has a criminal record."
We were never sure what breed she was. These dogs were raised by Birrer's on the Snowcrest
Ranch at Alder, Mt. They were just called the "Birrer's dogs" and had a really good reputation
in the area of SW MT. Birrer's couldn't remember the breed she was either. They raised them for
35 years and just watched for stud dogs they liked; preferably yellow.
Many were natural bob tailed dogs, as was Zip.
As her joints bothered her more, we let her sleep in the house, and she loved her Bean Bag bed.
We miss her still.

 

[webfoot]

Our old dog Bear. I called her Barely as she was barely a dog and almost a person. Smarter and much better behaved than most people's children. I only ever hear her bark twice. Once when a bear walked across the pasture and once when there was a bobcat out in the field. As she got old she was a little crippled, fat, and went deaf. We let her sleep in the back porch/laundry room. No door separating that room from the rest of the house, she never ventured farther into the house. But she was always there ready to help.