Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-08-23
The Farm Dig.

The Farm dog.
II is the opinion of great many
people that the average farm dog is
not worth his board-and does not get
1t at home. He is creature of non-
pearance; has few joys but many sor.
rows and lives apparently with the
one purpose of worrying tramps and
the man who attempts to keep sheep.
Now 1t may be considered good ser.
vice to scare tramps away from tna
homestead, but there are many who
think that Mr.. DuNaught is apt to get
even for the lack of hospitality shown
him and We must confess that hay
stacks are very commonly troubled
with spontaneous combustion. AS to
the killing of a few sheep once in a
while, why every owner of a dog VIII
tell you that 1t was done by the other
fellows hound, for we have yet to
hear OF the owner of a dog who Is
willing to confess that he is sheep
killer. II he is a very large dog his
keep is somewhat serious matter
and as his appetite is rarely appeaset
by what he gets at home 1t is little
wonder that he goes out foraging and
instructing the rising canine genera.
ton In the mysteries of successful
sheep worrying. The amount of food
consumed by an average farm dog
would doubtless feed one pig and it 10
questionable if the dog pays for the
FOOD he eats, while on the contrary
the pig pays for his by allowing the
feeder to eat him in return. The lit.
tie. fussy, conceited dog of boxer.
yellow hue may be proficient rattei
(sometimes) but is insufferable as a
self-asserting boss of the whole sur.
roundings and it Is questionable II a
cat or two would not do more and bet.
ter work among the rats than thesa
Spitzy little terriers whose other wori
Is to snap and jump at passing teams
and all night long sing unto the moon
that old, old song of semi-howls and
interrogatory banks. We personally
give the cat the benefit Of the douD,
for she "buries" the rat which Il
more than the terrier does though tina
huge mounds he sometimes makes in
the fields would suggest the contrary
and one is often fain to wish that he
would bury himself and be done with
1t, for the gopher and the ground HOG
are not worse than he in tearing W
the scenery in the meadow.
Some say they keep the dog for the
purpose of driving in the cows, but II
as it often does, that service consist:
in also swapping at their heels, swing
ing on their tails and biting theil
noses-acts which are neither conduc'
i've to full measures of milk or safe
maternity-we conclude that the cow
driving dog is nuisance and no i'm
provement ON the small boy with the
big club and unerring, stonethrowing
precision. We have nothing to say
against the full-blooded and properly
trained sheep dog kept on a sheer
farm for daily work with the shepherd
who could not get along without hi:
help but these dogs are not to be &C.
counted as belonging to the class Of
animals we have been speaking of ant
are likewise preferable in every way tc
the fat. fiea-infested, family pets that
have no specific life work and are too
lazy to do more than eat the food that
would keep proper" pig.
Without saying anything of hydro
phobia as the result OF the bite Of q
mad dog, or many other grievance!
that could be set forth, we conclude
that the country is overrun with use
less ours which are a positive ex
pense and nuisance to the very farm
ers who keep them and we think thai
our readers who give the matter a lit
tie thought will come to the same con
clusion and decide that the best farm
dog is dead dog"