Working Dogs (This one's for you Soap)

[flyingS]

Now I am a dog man but I also believe there is a place for them and sometimes it is for sure not where they are at. I helped a neighbor preg one year, his brother always has a pickup load of dogs with him. Rooster was the old dog and was the pride and joy ( he was worth less than the bullet it would have taken to stop him in his tracks). The brother lives on a remote ranch so he had gone to town to pick up supplies while we started pregging. Of course he left the dogs behind. My job was to bring cattle to the tub. Everytime I would fill the tub old rooster would run under the tub gate and go to work like most heelers do. I will give it to him he didn't have any quit, of course I couldn't swing the tub gate fast enough to get it shut. After meeting cow coming back out with the gate several times and pret near getting run over myself I had enough. I hussled and slammed the gate and old rooster was giving them hell. I loaded my stick and when he ducked out from under the gate I sorted him off with a mighty whack. Rooster let out one hell of a yelp and ran down the working alley almost running over the vet as he cleared the chute. As he was running like his ars was on fire to the house, work just stopped and everyone turned and looked at me. Finally Bill Baker (vet) chuckled and the brother that owned the cattle said, "I have waited 10 yrs for an opportunity like that." I was so mad all I could say was well SOB ought to stay the hell out of the way. Once rooster's owner returned he asked where he was and why he wasn't helping, no one said a word. That's was a time that a good fiberglass sorting stick had it's place. That man still packs a worthless dog everywhere he goes and doesn't know the difference.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Soap will enjoy that story. So did I.

 

[Faster horses]

The vet in W. Montana had a female Aussie that he called "Patty."
She wasn't any good at all, but he was faithful to her, he brought
her along on every veterinary call. She was always in the way; no
one cared much for her except the vet.

A good ole' cowboy lived near this vet and he had one of the
best Border Collie dogs I have ever been around. The dogs
name was Scottie...and the old cowboy was Bob. The vet bred
Pattie to Scottie several times and the pups just were not good
cowdogs. One day the vet called Bob and said that Patty was in
heat and could he bring her over to Scottie? Bob had been
thinking this over for awhile and his response was, "No.That's not
gonna happen."
"You can't breed a monkey to a football and get a football player." :shock: :wink:

 

[cowhunter]

I guess it's different up yalls way but down here a cowdog's work is done when the cattle are pened. They aint nothin but in the way and can cause trouble and hard fealins. If cowboys and horses can't work pened cattle then there not knowin what there doin.

 

[flyingS]

I agree cowhunter that's why he was on the recieving end of the stick.

 

[Cowpuncher]

You started telling dog stories.

We had a pretty good cow dog which had taken a long time to train. One day we had a new bull that needed branding. We drove him into the tub, shut the gate and took him right up to the chute. Ol' Jake was right behind him all the time. We finished the brand job and decided to let him back out of the chute so we wouldn't have to chase him around the coral.

The bull backed into the tub. Ol' Jake was on the outside of the tub and decided to put a couple of nips on bull heels. When he stuck his head under the edge of the tub and bit the nearest heel, the bull gave a tremendous kick. Ol' Jake normally would have had no problem with dodging the kick, but he had his head next to one of the tub posts and the kick caught him squarely in the head.

Ol' Jake was knocked unconscious. He laid there for a few minutes. When he finally got up, he had broken jaw which hung down like a rag. His head was kind oval shaped. Normally, it would have been kind to put Jake out of his misery, but the boss's wife would hear none of it.

She fed Ol' Jake a liquid diet and finally he recovered. Almost. He had a huge concave dent in his skull which reminded one of a steel coral post. Within a couple of months he was almost back to normal except he had crossed eyes.

One day, a female dog in heat dropped by. Jake and his competition got into a fight. The other dog bit Jake in the head and one of his teeth pierced Jake's brain right where the dent was. He died a couple of minutes later.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

You started telling dog stories.

We had a pretty good cow dog which had taken a long time to train. One day we had a new bull that needed branding. We drove him into the tub, shut the gate and took him right up to the chute. Ol' Jake was right behind him all the time. We finished the brand job and decided to let him back out of the chute so we wouldn't have to chase him around the coral.

The bull backed into the tub. Ol' Jake was on the outside of the tub and decided to put a couple of nips on bull heels. When he stuck his head under the edge of the tub and bit the nearest heel, the bull gave a tremendous kick. Ol' Jake normally would have had no problem with dodging the kick, but he had his head next to one of the tub posts and the kick caught him squarely in the head.

Ol' Jake was knocked unconscious. He laid there for a few minutes. When he finally got up, he had broken jaw which hung down like a rag. His head was kind oval shaped. Normally, it would have been kind to put Jake out of his misery, but the boss's wife would hear none of it.

She fed Ol' Jake a liquid diet and finally he recovered. Almost. He had a huge concave dent in his skull which reminded one of a steel coral post. Within a couple of months he was almost back to normal except he had crossed eyes.

One day, a female dog in heat dropped by. Jake and his competition got into a fight. The other dog bit Jake in the head and one of his teeth pierced Jake's brain right where the dent was. He died a couple of minutes later.

Dang females. Always getting a guy in trouble. :wink: :lol: :lol:

 

[gcreekrch]

I have a dog story to tell on my wife.

A couple of years before we met she was loading the roping box at our local rodeo. A dude had a blue heeler that kept running after the cattle when they were released for the ropers. Wife to be asked and then told him to keep the dog out of the arena and was totally ignored by the owner who was more than a little intoxicated.
After the dog nearly caused a serious wreck by heeling a dogging horse, causing it to duck left just as the rider jumped she managed to be in the right place at the right time and booted the dog OVER the six foot arena fence.

The owner then asked if she wanted the same treatment. She replied that if he wanted to follow the dog to bring it on. He got down off the fence on the FAR side and left the festivities.

The dozen or so cowboys who were close by would have made sure he never got close to her. :wink:

She said she doubted the dog owner never realized how close his mutt came to causing a very serious accident.

 

[cowhunter]

The last time we gathered my cattle to pull some ropein heifers out. I rode my horse by a dog that had got kicked or stomped. I hollered fo my buddy, his owner. He came over there and the dog layed there kick kickin. In a min. He got up and started stumblin around and makein some loops. He finely got over it and went back to work. He's fine now but I sure thought he was threw.

 

[flyingS]

When I was a kid my dad rode a horse named Parsons. Parsons was a dog hater from the beginning. We were helping the neighbor brand one morning. The neighbor happened to have some hounds. As we were gathering that morning one of the hounds fell in behind Parsons. I have to give it to Parsons he was pretty patient. He let that hound follow him for a long ways. When he finally got within reach Parsons kicked him right in the head. That hound should have stayed home. He dropped in his tracks, cold as a wedge. When he came to, he couldn't get his balance. He never made it to the house.

 

[Northern Rancher]

The odd heeler has got stoned at the neighbors lol.

 

[Soapweed]

A few years ago we had four dogs kicking around the place, all with "cowdog" bloodlines. Early one morning we heard a ruckus in a small lot where we had some selling cows. The stupid dogs chased about fifteen head of cows half a mile and through two fences. Gates were wrecked, fences tore down, and my tolerance for cow dogs hit rock bottom right then and there. It wasn't long before we had two less dogs, and the other two are still on probation. :?

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

A few years ago we had four dogs kicking around the place, all with "cowdog" bloodlines. Early one morning we heard a ruckus in a small lot where we had some selling cows. The stupid dogs chased about fifteen head of cows half a mile and through two fences. Gates were wrecked, fences tore down, and my tolerance for cow dogs hit rock bottom right then and there. It wasn't long before we had two less dogs, and the other two are still on probation. :?

If you got good dogs you have to do Due diligence and keep the kenneled or they will work on their own. :?

 

[Soapweed]

A few years ago we had four dogs kicking around the place, all with "cowdog" bloodlines. Early one morning we heard a ruckus in a small lot where we had some selling cows. The stupid dogs chased about fifteen head of cows half a mile and through two fences. Gates were wrecked, fences tore down, and my tolerance for cow dogs hit rock bottom right then and there. It wasn't long before we had two less dogs, and the other two are still on probation. :?

If you got good dogs you have to do Due diligence and keep the kenneled or they will work on their own. :?

The cons outweigh the pros. I choose to remain dogless. :wink:

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

A few years ago we had four dogs kicking around the place, all with "cowdog" bloodlines. Early one morning we heard a ruckus in a small lot where we had some selling cows. The stupid dogs chased about fifteen head of cows half a mile and through two fences. Gates were wrecked, fences tore down, and my tolerance for cow dogs hit rock bottom right then and there. It wasn't long before we had two less dogs, and the other two are still on probation. :?

If you got good dogs you have to do Due diligence and keep the kenneled or they will work on their own. :?

The cons outweigh the pros. I choose to remain dogless. :wink:

You still got a mule. :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Soapweed]

If you got good dogs you have to do Due diligence and keep the kenneled or they will work on their own. :?

The cons outweigh the pros. I choose to remain dogless. :wink:

You still got a mule. :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Lucky me.

 

[gcreekrch]

The cons outweigh the pros. I choose to remain dogless. :wink:

You still got a mule. :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Lucky me.

Doggedly persistant about being dogless too. :wink:

 

[Pertnear]

In most tails about dogs if the owner was smarter
than the dog most problems would be fixed.

 

[Big Swede]

You can criticize my wife, my kids and my cattle but leave my dog alone. :wink:

 

[Haytrucker]

Pertnear nailed it head on. A good "working" dog will when asked, and otherwise watch. I realize that sounds like a broad statement, but that is my spoiled opinion. Spoiled by two Blue Heelers BTW.