How’d He Do That?

While the internet is full of pictures of dogs, cats and all kinds of pets I couldn’t resist a story about the two farm dogs Jackson and Butler. As many of you know, these two dogs are brothers out of the same litter. They are polar opposites of each other with demeanor, bravery, memory, cuddly-ness, willingness to please, dirty paw factors and selective hearing loss.

There are some things that they do that are alike. These are working dogs, we use them when we are moving cattle and to keep the resident elk and deer away from garden. They are our early warning detection system when strangers pull into the driveway, when bicycles go past on the county road and when the barn cats encroach on their eating/sleeping areas. They are willing to chase a coyote well beyond the boundaries of the farm but only when they are working in tandem. One dog by himself will only stare at the coyote from safe distance and whimper for a brother to come help. Both dogs will bark all night if a racoon sits in the apple, pear or plum trees. They are noisy when possums or skunks are lurking about.

Where they differ has a lot to do with personal hygiene. Jackson could care less if he is covered with every imaginable kind of filth (the stinkier the better) where Butler likes to keep clean and even tiptoes around or bounds over puddles rather than get muddy. When thirsty, Jackson belly flops into the river so he can drink while standing waist high to lap at the water. Butler stands at the edge and licks delicately for moisture. Jackson hangs around very young calves and licks their bottoms to make sure they are all cleaned off, Butler is busy hunting for gopher mounds to dig up.

When I go across the river to do any task, the dogs go with me. Here they are not encumbered by tethers or leashes and they can run, chase and cavort to their hearts content while I work. They are both good at coming back to where I am working to check in now and again to make sure they are still able to keep playing. If I am anywhere near the Gator (aka home base) that is where they will check in. If I am a distance away, say no longer in sight of the Gator, they check in with the Gator first then in with me. Sometimes when I get back to the Gator, I’ll find one or both of the dogs napping peacefully on the Gator while they wait for my return.

When I am working in the barn, the dogs rotate turns about who is going to find a soft pile of hay to grab a few zzzz’s. On the Gator they can both rest at the same time, one on the floorboard of the passenger area and one in the back, but in the barn it is usually only one dog sleeping at a time while the other is out scouting.

The other day while I was splitting firewood in the barn across the river, Butler had been the one resting in a hay pile while Jackson was out and about. Butler revived from his nap and came out to sit by where I was working. I moved closer to him to give him a pat on the head when I noticed a piece of hay had lodged itself right on the top of his head and was sticking straight up in the air. It looked like he was trying to imitate Alfalfa from the Little Rascals with that one little bit poking up like that even though it was so slender I had to get real close to see it. It was so cute I couldn’t pet him for fear of dislodging it. How he got it to stand straight up is beyond me. His wimpy unicorn horn lasted until he was tired of sitting without doing anything and he went off in search of his brother.

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I am so pleased to announce that MaryJane Nordgren has made her new book available to the public! Click here for your copy of Nandria’s War.