Winter Is A Female
Dog!
Recently I did a blog which said we should understand our
limitations. The Michigan winter
has brought that idea home to us in spades. Now I know much of the country has felt winter’s bite this
winter and many live where people are ill-prepared to deal with it. In Michigan winter doesn’t just come
for a visit, but actually sets up housekeeping. Between blowing snow, shoveling snow, putting out birdseed
(the deer and turkeys love it!) and changing layers of clothes one gets a bit weary. Van Dyck used to tell the story of a
man with a litter of unwanted puppies who put a sign on the lawn for “bitches
and sons of bitches.” Michigan
winters can fit either category.
The TV viewing of the Westminster show provided a bit of
interest to break the ugly grip of winter. We applauded the choice of the beagle for several
reasons. She looked like a really
good Beagle, she was a niece of “Uno” who won a few years back, and she was a
breed without a lot of mess to groom up for the show ring. Long ago I decided that men have made a
mess of many dog breeds by turning them into dependent freaks. You lucky folks will now hear how I got
this way.
When I was ten two books arrived for Christmas, which molded
a lot of my thinking about canines.
They are still part of my library and still good reading. One was “Lochinvar Luck” by Albert
Payson Terhune, which kindled a lifelong interest in Collies. The other was “White Fang” by Jack
London which not only started me thinking about what dogs got from wolves, but
also started me on a quest to better understand wolves and why men have so
persecuted these creatures.
The story of Lochinvar Luck follows a Collie puppy
accidently lost in the woods and how he not only survives, but thrives. It is based on a true story about a dog
from Mrs. Lunt’s Alstead Kennels who was lost in the Canadian wilderness. While not every Collie might thrive under
these conditions just as some might not duplicate Lassie’s historic journey
some certainly can. Years back a
very lovely puppy on his way home from the CC of A was lost in the New England
winter for several months. Tim had
a tough time and lost some weight but he did survive. When Les Canavan and Verna Allen got him back he became Ch.
Royal Rock Gamblin’ Man who was an excellent dog and the top sire at Royal
Rock.
My own experience with a bitch puppy who was out for a
stroll with the other dogs and frightened by a truck which backfired. By the time I got the others kenneled
she had disappeared across the street into the woods. For two weeks I hunted and called alone and with other
dogs. There were ads put in the
paper and on radio to ask for info about her. Tracks in the snow seemed aimless and gave no clue. After two weeks when sitting down to
Thanksgiving dinner after a prayer for our lost puppy, there was a knock at the
door. There was a dear lady with
the little lost puppy who had come into her yard to play with the
children. She became Ch. Gingeor’s
Love Pat at Wayside.
White Fang is a story of a creature more wolf than dog who
after a rough start in life finds a master who shows him the love needed to
make him a dog. Most of you may be
more familiar with the work of Albert Payson Terhune than Jack London. Let me assure you that in White Fang
Jack London shows a knowledge of not just wolves, but of their place in the
scheme of life in the far north.
The book is beautifully written and much more realistic than the movie
of the same name.
Over the years we humans have molded wolves into dogs of
many shapes and sizes. A number of
these were modified to do particular tasks which we found beneficial. That type of man sponsored evolution
has some merit. Terriers that hunt
vermin, dogs that hunt birds or other game, herders that help man control his
livestock, and dogs which guard and protect men and their possessions all came
about with a purpose. It makes
sense that to fill our needs the wolf had to undergo some modification. What breaks my heart is to see breeds
that are so modified that they become completely dependent on very special
care.
The wolf is a magnificent creature in his place in
nature. He kills to live because
he doesn’t go to the supermarket.
He lives in extended families called packs and they all care for the
young and defend their home. If you
teach him to go to the supermarket he sounds a lot like us. He doesn’t take to training and
housebreaking so we do need dogs.
As you know by now I like dogs that are not only fun to live
with, but that can function. Males
who know when to breed and bitches who are capable of breeding normally and
raising healthy puppies. As we
continue to raise Collies for show, let’s make sure we never lose sight of what
makes a good dog.
Think about it!
