The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-26
SHEEP DOCS.
Some Remarkable Animals That Were
known for Their Intelligence.
Denver Post.

Denver Post.
"The most celebrated breed Of shepherd
dog ever known in the West. SAID U
Bristol, the old-time sheepman of Fort COL
Inns, Col, were those bred from a pair OF
New Zealand dogs brought to Colorado IN
1875. had several of their pups on my
ranges and could fill a volume with in
stances of their rare intelligence ana 1alth-
fulness. -
II remember one 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 cor,
rails we saw at once that a part OF the heEo
was missing. There were LOCO head in the
bunch when they went out IN the morIlus,
but when we put them through the chute
we found that 200 were missing, me pup
was also missing. Well, all hands turned
out for the search. We hunted all the night
and all of the next day, and did not nnd the
lost sheep until along t9waro nlgnt owl
there they were all herded in a little draw,
about five miles from home, and there was
the faithful dog standing guard. Inc WoIveS
were very plentiful in those days, ana the
dog had actually hidden the sheep from the
animals in the draw. me poor IelloW Mae
nearly famished, as he had been for thirty
six hours without food or water. From thaC
dav he became a hero. but was so badly al
fected by hunger, exposure and thirst anu
subsequent overlooking and pettlng that ne
died not long afterWard.
This same pups mother was an eSpecldl
w fine animal. one night the herder prousnt
in his locks and hurried to his cabin 10 COOK
himself some supper, for he was more man
usually hungry. But he missed the dog,
Which usually followed him to the cabin, but
he made no search for the dog thal night.
But when he went down TO the corrals the
next morning he found the gate open ana
the faithful dog standing guard over tne
iocks. The herder in his haste the hlghl pe-
fore had forgotten to close the gate, ana the
dog. more faithful than her master, nau re-
mained at her post all night, though suner-
ing from hunger and thlrst. o,
ION another occasion this same cog was
left to watch a flock of sheep near the
herder's cabin while the herder got ms sup
per. After the herder had eaten MS suppe5
he went down to where the sheep We're ana
told the dog to put the sheep in the corral;
This he refused to do, and although she nad
had no supper, she started OIL over the
prairie as fast as she could go. The herder
but the sheep in the corral and went 10 Deo.
About midnight he was awakened py the
lo1d barking of a dog down by the corrals.
He got up. dressed himself, and went down
to the c~orrals, and there found the DOG with
q band of sheep, which had strayeu on uuI-
ing the previous day without the herder s
knowledge; but the poor dog knew IL, ana
also knew that they ought to be corralleo'
= 9Annther good story of this same dog:
One day she was sent out with a new
herder to an outlying ranch, some ntteen
miles distant. That night she came nome
and by her actions told us that there was
something wrong at the ranch. Wen We
mounted on bronchos and went over 10 the
ranch, and very soon found out Wnal was
the matter. The new herder was simply a
tramp. who. as soon as he had got a good
feed, had lit out and left the sheep uncared
lOl. EdNC Ny AAo AADAG
the dog.
work for us, and the boys had filled him
so full of Embarrassing stories that he never
went out on the range without expecting to
be either eaten by bears or scalped by In
dams. One day he came running TO the
house all out of breath. declaring that he
had seen a bear. We laughed at him and
sent him back to the range.
"A few days afterward he came In again,
more scared than ever, and said II was a
hear that time, sure. Well, we took our
guns and a foxhound and went out, and,
sure enough, over on a hill we saw a large
black animal. 1t wasn't a bear, but we
could not make out exactly what 1t was.
we sent the hound and the shepherd dog
that was tending the herd out on its tran,
while we followed on foot. The dogs
chased the animal over the hill out Of sight.
Soon the shepherd dog came trotting
leisureiy back and took her place with the
herd again. over in the gulch we found
the hound standing over a dead animal,
which. upon examination, we found 10 be a
big black Mexican sheep. Now, that shep-
herd dog, as soon as she found II was
nothing but a sheep. had given up the chase
and returned TO her flock. She knew 1t was
not game. ard of no account. while the
hound had followed the trail and killed the
Ghpcp0