The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-19


His faithful dog shall bear him COM
pany. Pope.
One says: why does a dog do these
things-why does he lie in the coullee
beside his master until the master dies,
and then why does he lie there until
he himself dies?'
Never having been a dog. it is diff
cult for human being to answer this
question. Surely a dog could leave his
master dead and go to the home whence
he came; surely a dog could go any
where and everywhere and make a iiv-
Ing; surely it is no physical comfort TO
the dog to lie upon his masters or his
mistress grave with blizzard blowing
and with nothing TO eat and nothing to
drink until death comes to relief him of
his sadness and his sorrow. his fatal
grief.
Why these things are so is a problem
that has never been satisfactorily ex-
planned: but they are so, nevertheless.
No other animal known TO the natural
list is disinterestedly loyal John Bur-
roughs the famous naturalist, says that
there is no friend of man in his king
dom such as is dog; Ernest Thomp-
son-SetOn says there is no animal like
the dog for fidelity, and Ernest Thomp-
son-Seton assumes TO know.
Dogs Fidelity.
Every dog knows something. II is
the gift of intelligence with which they
are endowed. More dogs know every
thing, apparently. There are thousands
of dogs that can't be fooled; there are
thousands of dogs that were better
dead-isn't it trHe that there are thou
sands-o men and women who were bet
ter dead sfs6g
The sheepnnan, IL he Is practical hard
working fioeknaster, and not a king,
will tell you that the boosted collie is
not worth the breath that is spent in his
laudation. In Scotland perhaps where
the herding Is good. and where there is
gentility among the dogs as, well as
among the sheep and the wolves. the
high-bred- iettered collie may work his
sheepNith Sskstt and with accuracy,
Bob. tho Son OF Battle, was such one:
he showed his superiority over the Red
Wull of Adam McAdam, but would Bob
have made arrange dog in this land? 1t
is doubtful. -~,
Dogs Know Something.
Where the prickly pear grows and the
Epire weed thriveS sheep dogs have their
trials. If one We're ever in sheep
wagon-that Is, the transient home of
the herder. with its little stove, its lit
tie bunk and its little stock of provisions
one will have seen sheep dogs come
into camp on three legs, holding up a
fOrefOOt, perhaps. crying with pain and
fearful as a child might cry, except for
the gutturals. AS soon as an ordinary
sheep dogs foot is pierced with a
prick of the pear or the thorn of the
weed, he abandons his flock and heads
for camp. He asks his master in fig
urative speech more pleading and elo-
quent than any spoken words:
For the love of heaven, take this
thorn out"
A Good Sheep Dog.
After the spore is pulled and Shep is
given pat on the head and a drink
of water and a little romp, Shep goes
back to his job.
He is one who never strikes unless he
has cause. He does not strike for in
crea sed wages. but efnphaiieally, absoA
lutely ana positively he VIII not stand
for working conditions that invoke
abnse.. He win not take curse words ex-'
cept within certain limit: under no cir
cumstances will he be kicked a playful
habit which some alleged sheepherders
have. Shep is always sure of getting a
job. When he makes up his mind that
he is not being treated right he goes to
the next wagon-Shep has the whole
range to work on and everybody who is
fair is glad to get him. The man who
kicks him is sorry: whether he has a
heart I'm him or not, he is sorry either
sentimentally or commercially. Shep1
never goes back to work for the man
who kicked him.
When a Sheep Dog Strikes.
Some of the northern ranges are vast
fields of prickly pears. A horse will net
go upon them unless he is urged The
needles are needles in fact assWeil as
in name. A sheep goes upon them be-
cause 1t knows no better. and because il
is driven there. A dog follows the sheep
because 1t is his business to keep them
in motion or to herd them. PTickly
pears do not often hurt sheep. because
sheep have hoofs and no part tender
touches the ground. The dog must pick
his way among the pears as best he
may, all the while attending to his Job
\ collie does not count for much under
these circumstances. An ordinary sheen
dog does. But the best worker Of them
all, they say, is the cross between an or
binary sheep dog. a female and a male
coyOte-a wolf is even the better father. |
except that a strain of treachery is like
ly to follow. and then sheep's threats
are cut and blood is sucked Such a !
dog must be killed. 1t is a fact that the |
dog does not devour the carcass, and it |
is a question whether he laps the blood |
some s5eepmen say the dog kills /
merely for the lust of carnage.
More About the PrickIy Pear.
In peculiar and contrast passing 1
strange to the ordinary sheep dog is thel
dog that is half wolf When he gets a /
thorn in his foot he does not go to /
camp-at least, some do not He calmly 4
lies down upen= his back. gives a few /
barks or yelps. as one Chooses, and pro
eeeds TO find that thorn He muzzles