Ranch Dogs
- September 8, 2015
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- Jenn Zeller
Posted in: Featured, Uncategorized
Sometimes on a ranch, the dogs serve a purpose, other than to be friends and companions, and sometimes they don’t.
I think it depends on the outfit as to whether or not they actually want the help of a canine.
Around here, the dogs are mostly useless, except for when it comes to chasing off coyotes, catching the occasional prairie dog, chasing off the antelope you’re trying to photograph, or alerting us to visitors.
Jake the cow dog – a gorgeous English Shepherd, actually used to help. Though he was the best help when it’s just you, your horse, and him. More than one person he knows horseback, and he gets confused about who he should listen to. He doesn’t get to go much anymore, because he’s 10 years old now and his arthritis won’t let him keep up with us. That dog saved me many a mile, and one of these days, I’ll share about a really cold ride in January, through chest deep snow, and tell you all about what a faithful help he was that day! He’s so photogenic, don’t you think?
Then we have MJ – also known as the “Grass Torpedo”. She’s a Corgi/Border Collie Cross. She races through the grass to kill snakes, catch prairie dogs, and generally chases stuff that moves (except for my chickens). In that case, the ranch dogs just ignore them. Whew!
She’s terribly hard to get photos of, because she has trouble being still!
Recently we just added Dally to our “dog-pack”. She’s half Aussie, 1/4 Blue Heeler, and 1/4 Border Collie. She’s exceptionally smart, and she’s super cute!
She may or may not learn to come help us gather cows, but either way, the dogs make our lives better.
What kind of dogs do you like? Do they serve a practical purpose, or are they just for fun?
Happy Trails!
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Posted in: Featured, Uncategorized
About Jenn Zeller
Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western. After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her...