The Washington herald., 1907-02-24
DOGS [ HAVE KNOWN
Homer Davenport's Rccolections OF Humble But
Faithful Members of the Canine Family


coat tails. Then Dun was swung around
/ and around hanging by his teeth.
! / sat in a. frOat seat every night and
appia Sometimes Duff would come
/ TO the fOotlights and peek over at me and
wag his tail. He turned a few hand
springs and jumped rope. and never OBJ
ijected as 10 who came on first. This
made him the most popular actor with the
stage director.
! In Snverton. before we went TO Port
land. Dun did more tricks than I could
tell you Of in a days talk lie carried in
stove wood; he rode up on the hayfork.
/ holding to a sack; he sat on the COW
catcher Of the locomotive. he was the re-
! triever. the bird dog the shepherd. the
/ clown. lie could catch coin or a base
bail that was laid on the top Of his nose.
he would turn back somersauit just for
the asking. What is more. he understood
any plain language, the kind we used in
/ Silverton.
| When was an engiHe-wiper he was the
watchdog Of all the company's proDerty.
Thus, when Receiver Scott. OF the q =
/ CO.. doubted the dogs ability t. watch
me engine all night as he slept on the
cab seat-wherc / ought To have been. bur
was accustomed to stay away from my
post and sleep Ia ms bed-Dun attacked
the inquisitive receiver who had sneaked
up in the dark. and treed him on an old
fashioned pump in the yard Of a nearby
hotel.
Could FInd Anything.
a lady once when I was Boosting Of
Duffs wonderful Intelligence. said:
Do you mean 10 tell me that I cant
hide your knife where he can't find itg'
Yes" said; 1t would be impossible
/ told Duff to 60 in the next room till
we hid the knife. She put it up on tire
top shelf OF the sideboard. behind the only
real cut glass there was IN Silvertou.
Dun came in and began TO sniff with
his head up Before either Of Us had
time 10 stop him he mounted the side
board, knocking down all the glass and
/ breaking it and brought us the knife
An actor finally offered me 500 for
/ Dun. My father came to Portland to see
ne about accepting the offer. We talked
ii over one day on the stark street ferry.
/ Duff was with us. and we thought he
knew what We were talking about lie
/ looked as sad as father. and I fell
/ couldn't bear 20 see him, though 1
couldn't imagine anything that one hun
dTcd dollars wouldn't buy.
/ Father said life WAS made I'D Of such
soFrOws and appOiHtments; that while
nothing could be finer than 10 spend a
lifetime with a dog Of such wonderful
/ Intelligence and sympathy still a hun
I dred dollars at compound interest al 10
per cent for twenty years would buy
so-aad-so and so-and-sO, and that in the
| professional life Duff was leading he
might be stolen.
! was about 10 agree. All this tine Duff
/ had stood between US. his eyes on the
flo. I -~.rL-r b I.
/ head slowly and looked father full IN
/ tho eye.
IN that look he saved US. Father turned
/ 10 me and said.
/ Homer guess we can't sell him"
At that, Duff leaped high in the air.
/ bumped fathers hat off his head. caught
/ it in the air. and ran frisking about the
/ boat with it.
No. he couldn't be sold; there was
/ something in Dun that showed in his
/ eyes and prohibited a price.
( Fly, the sheep Dog.
one of the dogs 1 have known was
an old-fashioned shepherd named Ely.
and known all over Oregon as old
I Fly As long as she lived. BY"
( Geer was a success in the sheep bust
/ mess IN Oregon, and during her vigorous
/ days he made money with great regu-
larity. After she had died BY Geer
seemed 10 lose his grip on sheep. He
moved from one place 10 another and
tried al the new breeds he heard of. but
/ without success. Finally he appealed TO
Ineighbor 10 tell him why Of late years he
couldn't make a dollar out OF sheep. The
|neighbor replied;
BY III ten you why-old Fly is
gone"
And that was the reason. though BY"
/ Geer hadn't thought of il before The min
ute his neighbor mentioned ii he saw it all
/ and realized that his failure dated from
/ the old dogs death.
/ He QUIT the sheep business for good for
he didn't know where he could buy an
other Fly; they were scarce. and farmers
who owned such dogs didn't offer them
/ for sale.
I remember old Fly well She was Of
/ the old school c0liies. She was
I glossy black. with white in her face
a big, broad. white collar, four white
/ feet. and q white tip 70 her tail
! Her coat had soft waves in il like the
waves in some women's back hair. The
old dog had serious moments. but her
habitUal expression was smiling.
a herder were moving a band Of $50 head
/ Of sheep over onto a new range and were
driving II night It was approaching
spring and a rain was falling that made
the sheep hard To keep together It was
slow work. Fly had been very active.
She was covering lots of ground, and it
was quite dark. But she worked with
out orders. She seemed In complete con-
troll, and her sharp bark could be heard
at intervals. Finally they missed her
bark; an hour or SO had passed without
hearing il. The men were alarmed. as
they knew that without her in the dark
they would possibly lose a hundred sheep
every mile without missing them.
Saved Newborn Lamb.
They shouted for her but no Fly. She
had gone They decided that the only
thing to do was TO stop where they were.
They got around their flock as soon as
they could, and got them punched. They
knew they had let some sheep drop be
hind, and that old Ely was with them.
But they thought it was strange she
didn't hurry them along, as she was known
all over the State as fast worker
They waited and waited. Daylight came,
and no Fly. Finally, about noon, she
came with go sheep She was tired and
travelling slow.
one eve had given birth 10 a lamb. and
old Fly had gathered it by the back Of
the neck as she would carry one of her
pups WhereUpon. naturally. the mother
OF the lamb, thinking her baby was going
20 be eaten. hunted the dog over. Then
Fly dropped the lamb and tried TO teach
the old sheep not to interfere In the good