FARM-DOGS.
No grazing farm is complete without one or more intelligent,
well-trained dogs, adapted to the various wants of their owners; and the
general taste has made their presence almost universal in every rural
household. The dog is peculiarly the friend of man. Many other animals
have a temporary though feeble attachment to him, which seems the result
rather of constant companionship, or the selfishness of dependence, than
any well-settled affection towards a master.
The dog alone, of all the brute creation, seems capable of a
disinterested, self-sacrificing affection; and this, united with his
usefulness and adaptedness to all climes and countries, has made him a
favorite in every quarter of the globe. Since this animal is the
habitual tenant of the farm, and, when suited to his peculiar duties,
can be made of great utility by the assistance he is capable of
affording in its management, we deem it entirely appropriate to our
subject to indicate such of the species as are deserving the farmer's
attention. Discarding all ideas of fancy or sportsmanship, and looking
to utility alone, we may safely affirm that the farmer needs only such
as may be found in the four breeds of the Newfoundland, the Shepherd's
and Drover's dog, and the Terrier.
[Illustration: Fig. 37.
Newfoundland Dog.]
The Newfoundland Dog.
This dog, of which we give a portrait, is always above medium height,
and frequently is of the largest size. He is long-haired and shaggy, and
has a thick coat of fine, soft fur, beneath the outer covering, which is
almost impenetrable by water. His color is most frequently black; often
spotted and partially flecked or grayish; and occasionally buff. The
Newfoundland is of the Spaniel family, but derives its name from the
island where it has been bred for centuries, to the great advantage of
its inhabitants. There are two varieties: the large, used in the north,
called the Labrador; and the smaller, more docile and intelligent, of
the south, called the St. John's. They are employed by the islanders,
and the people of the neighboring coast, in drawing their sleds and
carts loaded with fish, wood, &c. They aid them in various ways in their
fishing operations; they are strong, courageous, and watchful; and with
slight training, they are scarcely inferior to the best hunting-dogs in
pursuing the wild game that abounds in those high northern latitudes.
These estimable qualities, coupled with their uniform good-nature, have
always made them favorites with the farmer.
The Newfoundland is an excellent watch-dog; sagacious in discriminating
between a friend and a foe, and with courage and strength to follow out
his prompt and judicious conclusions. He is easily trained for the
drover, to whom he is frequently a great assistant; and with a scent
sufficiently acute to pursue game, he is readily broken in as a useful
companion to the sportsman. He can also be made serviceable in the
various duties of the farm: destroying noxious vermin, taking the cattle
and horses to the field or water, drawing a light load, churning the
butter, &c. It is true, he has not all the sagacity of the Poodle, whose
intelligence approaches nearer to human reason than any other of the
brute creation. But if he has not that quick apprehension, which too
often leads, as in the case of forward children, to the attainment of
every worthless accomplishment and the indulgence of every loaferish
habit, he seems to have a sedate, well-formed judgment, which makes all
his wit available for some useful purpose. He is unsurpassed as a
water-dog; and his courageous efforts, wherever an opportunity has been
afforded, in rescuing numberless human beings from a watery grave,
together with his unswerving fidelity and devotion, commend him as the
prince of the canine family.
The Shepherd's Dog.
This animal, of which we give a beautiful portrait on the next page, of
the long-haired Scottish breed, belongs to the same family as the
Newfoundland and Poodle, which embraces the most intelligent and useful
of the canine species. There are two classes of these dogs, which differ
widely in their size and characteristics.
The larger is of great size and courage, and when protected by a stout
leather collar studded with spikes, is a full match for the wolf. These
are used by the Spanish and Mexican shepherds, on their wild sierras, as
effective guards against the attacks of all marauders, and are
essentially the same race as the far-famed dogs of Mount St. Bernard.
They are not sufficiently gentle for guides, and the shepherds who
employ them rely on some well-trained wethers or goats to lead the flock
at their call. Some have been imported into this country, but on account
of their headstrong and ferocious character, and occasional depredations
upon the flocks, they have been found unsuited to our wants, except on
the borders of the wilderness.
The Colley or Scottish sheep-dog, the English, and those extensively
used upon the continent, differ much in their form and appearance, but
agree in their intelligence, docility, and usefulness. They are of
medium size, with a sharp nose, broad forehead, and small upright ear;
they are both shaggy and smooth-haired, with a bushy tail, and much hair
about the neck; variously colored, though more frequently inclined to
black or darkly spotted and gray; and one branch of the family is
entirely destitute of a tail. They possess an instinctive sagacity for
the management of sheep; and in company with a well-trained dog, under
the direction of the shepherd, they soon become entirely competent to
the control of the flock. They perceive his wishes by a word or sign,
and with almost the speed of the greyhound, dart off to execute them.
Accounts of their performances have been frequently related, which seem
almost incredible to those unacquainted with their peculiar character.
The following anecdote, often told by the gifted poet, Mr. James Hogg,
more generally known by the soubriquet of the Ettrick Shepherd, will
show their capacity more fully than any description.
[Illustration: Fig. 38.
Shepherd's Dog]
"On one night, a large flock of lambs that were under the Ettrick
Shepherd's care, frightened by something, scampered away in three
different directions across the hills, in spite of all that he could do
to keep them together. 'Sirrah,' said the shepherd, 'they're a' awa!' It
was too dark for the dog and his master to see each other at any
considerable distance, but Sirrah understood him, and set off after the
fugitives. The night passed on, and Hogg and his assistant traversed
every neighboring hill in anxious but fruitless search for the lambs;
but he could hear nothing of them nor of the dog, and he was returning
to his master with the doleful intelligence that he had lost all his
lambs. 'On our way home, however,' says he, 'we discovered a lot of
lambs at the bottom of a deep ravine called the Flesh Cleuch, and the
indefatigable Sirrah standing in front of them, looking round for some
relief, but still true to his charge. We concluded that it was one of
the divisions which Sirrah had been unable to manage, until he came to
that commanding situation. But what was our astonishment when we
discovered that not one lamb of the flock was missing! How he had got
all the divisions collected in the dark, is beyond my comprehension. The
charge was left entirely to himself from midnight until the rising sun;
and, if all the shepherds in the forest had been there to have assisted
him, they could not have effected it with greater promptitude. All that
I can say is, that I never felt so grateful to any creature under the
sun as I did to my honest Sirrah that morning.'"
They are quiet and good-natured, never inclined to roam or neglect their
duties, and as little disposed to injure the animals intrusted to their
keeping. They have almost the intelligence of the shepherd in discerning
the vagaries of the flock, and ten times his efficiency in driving it.
No extensive sheep-walks, unless closely hemmed in by impassable fences,
should be without one or more of these useful animals.
The Drover's Dog.
This animal is shown in the annexed figure. He is closely allied to the
sheep-dog, from which he derives all his intelligence and capacity,
differing only in being somewhat larger and heavier, which is essential
to his controlling the sturdier bullocks under his charge. His
additional size is acquired by crossing with some of the stouter races,
such as the Newfoundland or the pointer, and even the bull-dog and large
shaggy terrier have sometimes been resorted to for a strain of that
indomitable courage and game, which is frequently requisite to the
proper discharge of his duties. He requires more training than the
sheep-dog, as his peculiar instincts are rather to the management of the
flock than the herd; but when fairly broken in, he is equally expert in
its management. The drover's dog may also be useful for watching, if
crossed with a reference to this object, which the sheep-dog seldom is.
[Illustration: Fig. 39.
Drover's Dog.]
The Terrier.
This, in addition to the foregoing, is the only dog necessary to the
farm. He is needed principally for his great sagacity and indefatigable
perseverance in exterminating rats and other vermin, that frequently
congregate in swarms around the farmer's premises, producing such an
aggregate of annoyance and devastation. Other dogs may occasionally be
good ratters, but the terrier takes to them from instinct, as the
Newfoundland does to the water, or the sheep-dog to his flock. He has
great ingenuity and activity in ferreting out and capturing his prey,
and whenever a fair opportunity is afforded, he seldom fails of success.
The famous English terrier, Billy, on two occasions, killed 100 rats in
a ring at each time, in an average of less than six and a half minutes.
The terrier is usually below the medium size, but sometimes fully comes
up to or even exceeds it. He is smooth-haired or rough according to the
breed, of which there are several, each claiming to be equally pure.
Besides his capacity for the destruction of small game, his innate love
for the sport renders him a valuable assistant in keeping off vagrant
cattle from the premises; and his quick ear, habitual watchfulness, and
prompt courage, fully qualify him, to the extent of his size, for an
excellent watch-dog.
The fancy of country residents may incline them to keep a variety of
other dogs than are herein enumerated, some of which, with good
training, can be made partial assistants to their masters. But it is
unnecessary to specify the various breeds that may possibly be of some
use on the farm, as the slight crossing they will be likely to have,
equally with their opportunities and the attention bestowed upon them,
will serve materially to develop or obscure their peculiar instincts.
The Spaniel family and its crosses will be found to combine the greatest
intelligence, fidelity, and aptitude to learn; the hound has the keenest
scent and greatest endurance in the pursuit of game; while the bull-dog
has the most courage, sullen ferocity, and strength. Each may
occasionally be wanted for a strain of blood for some particular
objects; and this is especially necessary from the bull-dog in the
management of refractory cattle, or to give the terrier greater
stoutness and courage.
The absurd custom of keeping from one to a dozen dogs, untrained for any
valuable purpose, or supernumeraries even if capable of rendering
occasional service, ought to be abandoned by every rational man. Besides
the great annual cost, the danger of communicating rabies or madness is
sufficient to justify a legal restraint on their numbers. The sad havoc
they commit on the flocks, demands the extermination by law of every dog
that is guilty, whether
Mongrel, puppy, whelp, or hound,
Or cur of low degree.
And even if it includes the _fides Achates_, or parlor companions,
Tray, Blanche, and Sweetheart,
the work of extirpation should proceed, to the extent of curtailing this
branch of farm-stock to its wholesome and legitimate proportions.