The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-08-06
A PENSIONED DOG.
what Led 90 An official Recognition by y
Terr tOriaI Legislature.
[Bos,on Glvbe.I


In the Territory of New Mexico the
Legislature, by joint action, recently
pensioned dog for noble services. In
that country there are many sheep farms,
and shepherd dogs are SO well trained in
caring for the fiocks of their masters that
it is their daily practice to take out the
flocks in the morning to pasture, guard
them all day, and ut night return them
to the fold or coral This work of the
Mexican dogs is SO common and so faith
fully performed that it is looked upon as
n matter of course, and nothing more
than should be expected from we'll
trained dog. This being the case, 1t
would appear that the dog worthy of
pension i'll that territory must have per
formed some very marvellous feat indeed,
and something out of the common line OF
canine achievement. And he did. He
did not save his mistress life from the
murderous fury of the savage, nor her
child from being Drained against door
post, OF being choked by huge black
snake, for his master was not married,
and had no wife or babe, but led a soil
tary life i'll his solitary ranch i'll very
solitary part of New Mexico.
1t Glanced 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 remained in
side the shanty and kept very quiet.
The next evening it was the same. The
dog, when he penned i'll the sheep re-
paired to the shalty, smelled through
crack Ill the door his master presence,
but the man was still quiet and did not
breathe. The dog scratched, parked,
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
hillsides. But he was getting hungry,
and that night when he drove the sheep
into their pen, the last one to attempt to
go III became the victim of his appetite.
This method of providing for his own
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
for breakfast and dinner the following
day. AS stated before, the ranch to
which ne dog belonged was III a solitary
part o. the territory, and out of the track
of travel and social intercourse or vista
tion
For two years from the time of the
Uaster's death-as ascertained by data
.ft by the latter-the faithful dog
ended the flock committed to his
charge, and had fresh mutton for supper
every night. The flock was not deci-
mated by this steady drain upon its re-
sources. 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, jealously
guarding his flock, and driving them TO
the best pasture every day, and to the
fold at night before which he slept, to
keep the wild sheep-eaters of the plains
a civil distance Such fidelity excited
admiration wherever the story was told,
and the Arcadian Legislators of the Ter.
ritory, III fit of generosity and enthu-
siasm, at their session two years ago
they have biennial sessions i'll that
happy country, granted pension for
life to that dog, to be paid from the
State Treasury, as a reward for his
fidelity, and no doubt as an encourage
ment to all other shepherd dogs in that
Territory to be good dogs and faithful