The German Shepard

Tales from the backyard…Somehow I ended up with a young German Sheppard, I don’t remember how, but think she was given to me as a runaway or as often happens, someone just dropped her along side of the road.  I had a friend at work that had lost his dog of 17 years so I asked if he might be interested in taking her.  I said she had been well trained and was smart as a whip.  He lived on a small hobby dairy farm south of Mora MN on the Snake River and I used to fish behind his house.  He said to bring her up on Saturday and he would take a look, so I did.   He and the dog bonded instantly and he said he would give her a try.  He then went into the house and got some butter and put it on her feet.  I said “what’s that for” and he responded that it would keep her from running away again.  On Monday at work I asked how the dog was doing and he said “the first night when it was time to bring in the cows for milking, I said to the dog ‘let’s bring in the cows’ and then we went into the pasture.  Watching me, she knew she was suppose to heard the cows to the barn and did so with little coaching.  The next morning when it was time to round up the cows again, I said ‘let’s get the cows’, she ran out and brought them back, all by herself”.  He also said that he had never let a dog sleep in the house before, but this one was so special he made a bed for her in the kitchen.  Maybe he was getting older and from the little time I had her, she was great company.