Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1900-08-23
The Farm Dor.


1t is the opinion of a great many
people that the average farm dog is
not worth his board-aud does not get
1t at home. He is creature of nom
oescrtpt breed and disconsolate an
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 a good SER
vice to scare tramps away from the
homestead, but there are many who
think that Mr.. DuNaught is apt to get
even for the lack of hospitality shown
MN and We must confess that hay
stacks are very commonly troubled
WIN spontaneous combustion. AS to
the killing of a few sheep once in
while, why every owner Of a dog Will
tell you that it was done by the other
fellows hound, for we have yet to
near OF the owner of dog who is
willing to confess that he is sheep
Killer. IT he is very large dog his
Keep is somewhat serious matter
ana as his appetite is rarely appeased
ny what he gets at home it is little
wonder that he goes out foraging and
lnstructing 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 1t is
questionable if the dog pays for the
rood he eats. while on the contrary
tne pig pays for his by allowing the
1eeoer to eat him in return. The lit
tle, fussy, conceited dog of boxer
ye1low hue may be proficient ratter
(sometlmes) but is insufferable as a
se1-asserting boss of the whole sur
roundlngs and it is questionable if a
cat or two would not do more and bet
Ter work among the rats than these
opltzy little terriers whose other work
Is 10 snap and jump at passing teams
ana all night long sing unto the moon
mat Old, old song of semi-howls and
lnterrogatory barks. We personally
give the cat the benefit of the doubt
1or she "buries" the rat which is
more than the terrier does though the
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
II, for the gopher and the ground hog
are not worse than he in tearing up
the scenery in the meadow.
Some say they keep the dog for the
purpose of driving in the cows, but IT,
as 1t often does, that service consists
IN also swapping at their heels, swing
ing on their tails and biting their
noses-acts which are neither conduc-
i've to full measures of milk or safe
maternity-we conclude that the cow
driving dog is a nuisance and no i'm
proVehlent 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 sheep
farm for daily work with the shepherd
who could not get along without his
help but these dogs are not to be &C
counted as belonging to the class of
animals we have been speaking of and
are likewise preferable in every way to
the fat, fea-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 a
MAD dog, or many other grievances
that could be set forth, we conclude
that the country is overrun with use
less ours which are positive ex-
pense and nuisance to the very farm
ers who keep them and we think that
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.'