Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-01
THE COLLIE As A SHEEP noe
" wonderful Sagacity shown I'm ,b.
Care of Large FIock.
From the Kansas City Star

From the Kansas City Star
Hardly a winter passes but from th- rr.a,
sheep ranges of the northwest comes some
story OF the intelligence. faithfulness and
endurance of shepherds only compani,n
MS collie dog. Perhaps the herder has LEA
In his little cabin or tent and day after d,y
| the dog has herded the sheen. uniting tb.,p
IN the corral at night and taking them ami
to Craze in the early morning without sign
or word from his master PERHAPS both
| master and dog have lost their sheen in a
4 pllndlng freezing storm. and the dog Is
found lying on his masters body in
9nohurilt' trying to keep it from freezing
II Is always the same story of the nc
the brain of man. the heart Of a w'-
man Always intelligent. always faithful
| unto death. ia VI
ana training SO honestly. for either they or
| their ancestors came from the sheep-dorr.d
nils OF England, Scotland. or Wales. wher,.
for generations past the Supreme effnr-t
OF the shepherd has been to produce per
rect sheep dog. They have succeeded we'll
Tor no man could excel them I'm sheen lore
no man could be useful to the sheen
owner, for man is neither SO persist,nf ar
agile possesses such endurance. or Is so
gentle under training and reproof The
dog does not reason as to the why and
wherefore of his affection. for the worst
sort of a brutal shepherd may have the
most faithful dog, one that will mind lhe
Sheep on the hills, patiently await his mas
Ter coming from the tavern and guide his
reellng footsteps to his home
On the great plains of the west these
dogs have made il possible for one man To
care for 5000 or 1863 sheep in a dock All
they ask is a bite to eat. and once in a
while when their feet are filed with the
sharp pines of the cactus they will come
TO nave them taken out. There is no VA lue
on weIl-trained sheep dog The well-hred
colle which takes the prizes at the bench
show is beautiful to look at. but his hom-
Her brother. the trained dog of the range.
IS worth more than he is beyond prize.
The sheep owner holds him as beyond pur-
chase The sheep herder who falls so low
as to part with his companion is yet to be-
found, and if the dog were To be bought
the buyer might rue his bargain. for the
master must go with the dog.
In the new country the work of the sheep
dog is hard; ii is on big scale In the
old country the work is easier but it has
its finer points. In the new country the
dog may drive 300 sheep. in the old coun-
try dog may have to drive three or four.
which takes more thought and skill. In
the old country the feature of every coun-
try fair in a sheep district is the sheep dog
trials; A trophy is the annual prize, and
the shepherds and their dogs come from
afar off TO try for the cup.
The field is cleared of the crowd. Three
sheep are taken in a wagon to the tar
end. perhaps into Il bit of wood. and there
turned loose. The shepherd and mis- dog
must get these sheep together. drive them
the length of the field, through certain
staked walls, through gates and over
bridges, and finally into pen built I'm the
open with no guiding fences on either side
and with but narrow openings.
BY word gesture and whistle the MAJ
directs the dog at long range. The Cog
keeps one eye on his master and one on
the sheep. He sinks along close TO the
ground or covers it at lightning speed "a
the need of the moment may demand. He
work the sheep with human intelligence
and speed and energy of which man
is capable. The work of the trained sheep
dog puts his kind ,at the head OF the list
of intelligent animals.
These trials for the trophy are a great
feature of life in the sheep countries. Ri
valries are engendered and often neigh
borhoods divided over the respective mcr-
its of the dogs. The day of the trial is
the great day of the country fair and the
betting is high between the factions. Looks
do not seem to count in this trial of skin.
for the great long-haired collie of the typ"
known in America is not always the bcs:.
The dog that carries away the trophy may
be a little short-halred, homely an in
significant brute. which sinks to The heel
of his master like a creature of no spirit,
but send him after the sheep and his whole
character seems to change. He is SLOW
and gentle or quick and bold. the sheep
may require. His whole attitude Is tense
and nervous. No human being could mani
fest a greater sense of responsibility.