The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-06
A DOG THAT LIKES WORK.
Pumps water for Herd of Cattle.
Keeps the Trough Full.
From the San Francisco can.

Keeps the Trough Full.
From the San Francisco Call.
There is dog motor not far from San
Francisco. It is on the Swiss ranch on
top of the hill to the westward of Mill
valley. It's in plain sight from the road.
and hundreds OF people passing that way
wonder what it is. They may see 1t turn
ing around at good speed, but few would
think that the motive power was generated
by a dog. The cost is trifiing, not the
twentieth part of what windmill would
cost. and for the purpose nothing could be
better One dog can easily pump water
for herd OF 200 cattle. And the best OF
It is some dogs like the work.
Dog motors are built on the same prin-
ciple as the exercising runs that are often
attached to cages for squirrels and other
small animals. They are really barrels
made so that the dog can get in and out
at 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 a
crank that connects with a piston and
sucker of ordinary type. Revolving the
motor causes the piston to rise and fall
the same as If man were working the
handle.
For over a year the dog-motor on the
hill back of Mill Valley has been oper-
ated by q dog named Gyp, and she really
likes the work and knows more about
pumping water than half of the men in
the state When Gyp was first put into
che. 4tfaf NH he hnA
to do, and started in at great rate. She
ran so fast that she would have fallen
from exhaustion had she not been lifted
outA But as she has grown older at the
business she has learned better. But she
likes the work as much as when she start
ed. When Gyp first started in to pump
water she did not know when 10 stop.
She pumped and pumped until the tank
ran over all the time. In a 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 It lacks of being full. She
then works accordingly and when she
thinks she has done enough runs out and
takes a loolSaat IT, If II is full she lies
down and rests, and IL there are still a
few inches remaining she starts In again
and does not stop until the trough Is rum
ing over.
All the water that Gyp pumps is for
cattle TO drink. II flows directly from the
well into the drinking trough so that they
can get IL without trouble. Gyp knows as
soon as she sees band of steers maxi
ing for the trough what they are after
and she starts In pumping, so as TO keep
them from emptying IL. Her idea seems to
be to keep the trough full. In fact, she is
| unable to rest unless she knows 1t Is In
that condition. Gyp has to work hard to
do her work. Each stroke of the pump
brings up about a quart of water, and she
has to make about six jumps to do IL; but
when she feels like working nothing
stops her, and the pumps make at least
ten strokes a minute or perhaps 500 gall
Ions 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 necessary TO lock
them in TO keep them from jumping the
| job.