Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-12-17
oYP.
The Dog Likes TO Pump Water add
She Knows All Abou< 1t,

The Dog Likes to Pump Water aud
she Knows All Abou< 1t.
Dog-motors are plentiful enough In
Belgium and q few other parts Of
Europe, but they must surely be con-
coded to be q rarity in California.
Many people who have travelled all
over the State say they have never
seen any. But there is one at least, and
that Is not very far from San Fran
cisco. 1t Is on the Swiss ranch on top
OF the hill to the westward of Mill
Valley. 1t is in plain sight from the
road, and hundreds Of people passing
that way wonder what 1t Is. They
may see It turning around at q good
speed, but few would think that the
motive power was generated by a dog.
This motor has been in use for two
years, and most cheap and serv-
iceable machine 1t has proved to be.
The cost Is trifling, not the twentieth
part of what a windmill would cost,
and for the purpose nothing could be
better. One dog can easily pump wa
ter for herd of 200 cattle. And the
best Of it Is, some dogs like the work.
Dog motors are built on the same
principle as the exercising runs that
are often attached to the cages for
squirrels and other small animals.
They are really barrels made so that
the dog can get in and out at q place
near the bottom, and as soon as he
starts to run on the inside the barrel
slides from under his feet. In this
way 1t rotates as fast as the dog runs.
The motive power Of the machine is
communicated to the pump by means
Of crank that connects with a piston
and sucker Of ordinary type. Revolv-
ing the motor causes the piston to rise
and fall, the same as II a man were
working the handle.
For over a year the dog motor on the
hill back Of Mill Valley has been oper-
ated by a dog named Lyp, and she re-
ally likes the work, and knows more
about pumping water than half Of the
men in the State. When Gyp was first
put into the machine she knew just
what she had to do, and started in at
q great rate. She ran so fast that
she would have fallen from exhaustion
had she not been lifted out. But as
she has grown older at the business
she has learned better. But she likes
the work as much as when she started.
When Gyp first started in to pump wa
ter she did not know when to stop.
She pumped and pumped until the tank
ran over all the time. In few weeks.
though, she was taught that all she
was expected to do was to keep the
tank full, and now she doesn't do any
more.
When Gyp Is taken to the motor in
the morning she first looks into the
trough to see how much 1t lacks Of be-
ing full. She then works accordingly,
and when she thinks she has done
enough she runs out and takes a look
at it. If 1t Is full she lies down and
rests, and II there be still few inches
remaining she starts In again and does
not stop until the trough Is running
over.
All the water that Gyp pumps is for
the cattle to drink. It flows directly
from the well into the drinking trough.
30 that they can get it without trouble.
Gyp knows as soon as she sees band
Of steers making for the trough what
they are after, and she starts in pump
ing, SO as to keep them from empty
ing 1t. Her Idea seems to be to keep
the trough full. In fact, she is unable
to rest unless she knows it is in that
condition. Gyp has to work hard to
| do her work. Each stroke Of the pump
brings up about q quart Of water, and
she has to make about six jumps to do
1t; but when she feels like working
nothing stops her, and the pumps make
at least ten strokes a minute, or per-
haps 500 gallons Of water In ten hours.
| Gyp Is the only dog on the ranch
that has ever liked the work. Others
have been tried, but it is always neces-
sary to lock them in to keep them from
jumping the job. Even Gyp's broth
ers always had business elsewhere
whenever they thought there was any
| pumping to do. There was one, though.
that was a good worker. He used to
run and run until the axle fairly
smoked, but as soon as he saw that he
curled up in the bottom and went to
| sleep.-San Francisco Call.