The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-03-10
FAMOUS SHEEP DOGS.
THESE CANINE WONDERS CAME FROM
NEW ZEALAND.

THESE CANINE WONDERS CAME FROM
NEW ZEALAND.
A Batch of Stories. Illustrating the
Rare Intelligence and FaithfuIness
of the Animals. Told by an Old
Time Colorado Sheep Man.
1.-THE most celebrated breed of shep-
herd dog eve known in the west. said
Jud Bristol, the old time sheep man Of
Fort Collins, Colo, 'swere those bred
from a pair of New Zealand DOES
brought to Colorado in 1875. had
several of their pups on my ranges and
could fill u volume with instances of
their rare intelligence and faithfulness.
- remember n pup in particular.
He was only six months old when he
was sent out one day to work on the
range. At night, when the herd was
brought up to the c~orrals, we saw at
once that a part of the herd was miss
ing. There were l, 600 head in the
bunch when they went out in the
morning, but when we put them through
the shoot we found that 200 were miss
ing. The pup was also missing.
swell all hands turned out for the
search. We hunted all the night and all
of the next day, and did not find the
lost sheep until along toward night.
But there they were, all herded in a
little draw, about five miles from home,
and there was the faithful dog standing
guard. The wolves were very plentiful
in those days, and the dog had actually
hidden the sheep from the animals in
the draw. The poor fellow was nearly
famished, as he had been for SO hours
without food or water. From that day
he became a hero, but was SO badly af-
fected by hunger, exposure and Thirst
and subsequent overlooking and petting
that he died not long afterward.
"Thie same pups mother was an es-
pecially fine animal. One night the
herder brought in his f1ocks and hurried
to his cabin to cook himself some sup
per. for he was more than usually hun
cry. But he missed the dog, which usu-
ally followed him to the cabin Of an
evening to have her supper. The herder
thought rather strange of it, hut made
no search for the dog that night. But
when he went down to the ~corrals the
next morning he found the gate open
and the faithful dog standing guard
over the focks. The herder. in his haste
the night before, had forgotten to close
the gate, and the dog, more faithful
than her master, had remained at her |
post all night, though suffering from
hunger and thirst.
"On another occasion this same dog
was left to watch a flock of sheep near
the herder's cabin while the herder got
his supper. After the herder had eaten
his supper he went out to where the
sheep were and told the dog to put the
sheep in the corral. This she refused to
do, and although she had had no supper
she started off over the prairie as fast
as she could go. The herder put the
sheep in the corral and went to bed.
About midnight he was awakened by
the loud barking of a dog down by the
corrals. He got up, dressed himself and
went down to the ~corrals, and there
found the dog with a band Of about SO
sheep, which had strayed off during the
previous day without the herder's
knowledge; but the poor dog knew il.
and also knew that they ought to be
corralled, and she did it.
"Another good story of this same
dog: One day she was sent out with a
new herder, to an outlying ranch some
Is miles distant. That night she came
home, and by her actions told us that
there was something wrong at the
ranch. Well. we mounted our bronchos
and went over to the ranch, and very
soon found out what the matter was.
The new herder was simply a tramp.
who as soon as he had got a good feed
had lit put and left the sheep uncared
for save by his more faithful compan-
ion, the dog.
Zone time we had a tenderfoot come
70 work for us, and the boys had filed
him SO full of hair raising stories that
ne never went out on the range without
expecting to be either eaten by bears or
by Indians. One. day he came
'unning to the house, all out of breath.
declaring that he had seen a bear. We
aughed at him and sent him back to
he range.
"A few days afterward he came in
gain, more scared than ever, and said
t was a bear that time sure. Well, we ]
ook our guns and afoxhound and went
mt. and, sure enough, Owe on a hill
We saw a large black animal. It wasn't
bear, but we couldn't make out ex-
what it was. We sent the hound
nd the shepherd dog that was tending
he herd out on it's trail, while we fol-
owed on foot. The dogs chased the ami II
nal v he hill out of sight. Soon the :
hepherd dog came trotting ~leisurely !
ack and took her place with the herd
gain. Over in a gulch we found the
ound standing over a dead animal,
which upon examination we found to
9 a big black Mexican sheep. Now,