The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1880-08-26
A PensIoned Dog.

In the Territory Of New Mexico the
legislature, by joint action, recenll7
pensioned a dog FOL noble services. In
that country there are many sheep
farms, and shepherd dogs are so well
trained in caring for the flocks Of their
masters hat it is their daily practice TO
take out the locks in the morning to
pasture, guard them all day and at night
return them TO the fold or corral. This
work Of the Mexican dogs is so common
and so faithfully performed that it is
looked upon as a matter Of course, and
nothing more than should be expected
from a well.trained dog. This being
the case, it would appear that the dog
worthy Of a pension in that Territory
must have performed some very mar
velous feat indeed, and something out
Of the common line of canine achieve
ments. And he did. He did not save
his mistress life from the murderous
fury of the savage, nor her child from
being Drained against a door post or
being choked by a huge black snake, for
his master was not married, and had no
wife or babe, but led a solitary life in
his solitary ranch in a very solitary part
OF New Mexico.
1t CHANGED that The dog in question,
on returning Of an evening with his
sheep TO the fold, discovered that his
master was not stirring about, but re-
manned inside the shantY and kept very
quiet. The next evening it was the
same. The dog, when he penned up
the sheep, repaired TO the shanty
smelled through a crack in the door his
masters presence, but the man was still
quiet and did not breathe. The dog
scratched, barked and even howled, but
no response came from within. The
door remained closed; no smoke rose
from the chimney to greet the early
morn. But the dog, true to his appointed
duty, went out with the sheep on the
third day, and cared for them while
they cropped the heritage on the hill
sides. But he was getting hungry, and
that night when he drove the flock into
their pen. the last one to attempt to 90
in became the victim to his appetite.
This method of providing for his wants
became a portion Of the faithful dogs
daily duty. Every evening, the last
sheep to try to enter the fold was seized
by him and served for supper and break
fast and dinner the following day. AS
stated before, the ranch to which the
dog belonged was in a solitary part of
the Territory, and out of the track OF
travel and social intercourse or vista
ton.
For two years from the time of the
masters death-as ascertained by data
left by The latter-the faithful dog
tended the flock committed to his
charge, and had fresh mutton for sup
per every night. The flock was not
decimated by this steady drain upon its
resources. On the contrary, it increased
in numbers, and when, at the end of two
years from the time of the death Of the
proprietor, the ranch was visited and
the remains of the poor fellow found,
the dog was still at his post of duty,
iealously guarding his flock, and driv-
ing them to the best pastures every day,
and to the fold at night, before which
he slept, to keep the wild sheep-eaters
of the plains at a civil distance. Such
fidelity excited admiration wherever
the story was told, and the Arcadian
legislators of the Territory, in a fit of
generosity and enthusiasm, at their ses-
sion two years ago (they have biennial
sessions in that country, granted a
pension for life to that dog, to be paid
from the State treasury, as q reward for
his fidelity, and no doubt as an encour
agement to all other shepherd dogs in
that Territory to be good dogs and
faithful.