An utterly too long brag on a homely little dog, It's all in the attitude of partnership Options

[Sue R]

Actually, this is going to be two brags on our homely dog.

Bute would never win any beauty prizes - booby prizes for appearance, maybe. He's noticeably overshot, kind of scrawny (no matter how well we try to feed him), his coat reminds me of a young boy with an unmanageable cowlick (only Bute's cowlicks run all up and down his bony body), he's not a prettily-marked dog (not much white, all asymmetrical), his ears are airplane-style (I sometimes call him "Dorky-dog"), and he's got kind-of deep-set, squinty eyes. He's not a handsome dog like my Celt, who is attractively lean and easy on the eyes, prettily-marked with lots of fairly-symmetrical white, and just (in my loving mind, anyway) a nice dog to look at.

Celt has lots of lovely instincts - pretty outrun, lovely style, good balance, and a handsome way of moving. But, he lacks some of the essential temperment package. He lacks confidence and strength. His instincts are yelling so loudly that he can't hear what I am saying, or what I need done. He's very pressure-sensitive. He can do some real helpful work but he also has a tendancy to really let us down when the going gets tough and we need to work as a team to get a job done. He's not a team-player. He wants to work how he wants to work, and do what he wants to do. I think I love him more than I have ever loved a dog. Folks here who know me, know how much I love my Celt.

Bute lacks a lot of natural abilities or, rather, he needs the right training to get them developed. Without training stock here at home, and only monthly (at best) lessons on sheep with a good trainer, his progress is understandably slow. He's got lots of eye, no real outrun, isn't too keen on going to the heads of the cattle (but real eager about the hind ends), and just has lots of things that he needs good training to overcome. And he doesn't get that here at home.

But what Bute has that Celt lacks is a real desire (or ability) to be a partner and get a job done for us. His training is mostly on-the-job so it's limited. What he does very, very well (and what Celt can hardly manage to do) is help us when we need to move stock through gates (and drive through pastures). While Celt tends to be out there at a distance, suffering because "there is too much pressure", or racing to get to the heads of cattle that are already heading where we want them to go and he should be behind driving (and getting ahead is really going to be counterproductive or futile, because they will just keep on coming and he lacks the strength to really do anything about it) - Bute is happily moving along at their hocks (he's going to have to learn that it's heels he needs to focus on, not hocks), moving from side to side to tuck in the stragglers, and pleased to be moving them to the next gate.

And, when Bute gets them to the gate, he will be working them to get everyone through, moving to whichever side it takes to get them all (which is a real challenge when the calves are less experienced, young, and silly or hitting that teenage stage of calfdom). And, for a dog without a good outrun yet, he does grasp the idea that they have to be gathered and moved as a group. And he really gets the idea of putting them through the gates, whether it's into another field or crowding into the working pens. Celt, meanwhile, wants to race ahead and (when you are trying to put them through the gates or into a pen) that's really defeating the purpose as it just turns them back where you don't want them to be.

So, here are the brags (after all the long-winded background).

We just did the final vaccination and weaned our calves on Labor Day. We do fenceline weaning, with the calves in a pen made of Priefert panels, with water, feed, and shade, and the cows moving freely outside the pen. The weaning seems much less stressful and goes more quickly when the cows can be near the calves but are securely separated.

Three days after separating, we needed to move cows. Most were very cooperative but our old pet cow, Baby Cow (how original, and inappropriate at age 15+)), broke from her group and, despite the best efforts of Celt and Bute, ran back to the pen. Ed got a bucket and I followed with the dogs at a discreet distance. We got her to her group across the road (this is quite a distance from the pen, near the other end of the farm fields), and she again made a break for the pen. This time, Celt was in the road in front of her and, instead of her heading into the field on the pen/house side of the road, she took off down the road and wound up behind our barn.

The dogs did their best but it takes more dog than I have to stop a determined cow. Again, Ed with bucket in hand (and fortified with apples) led The Babe up the road and through to the other end of the orchard/vineyard/blueberry patch. Babe decided she wasn't having any of it and turned again. Bute, who is a bit off-put by the heads of cows (they are big and scary), got around front of her (Celt was doing some big outrun or something and, as often happens, might have made it there when all the action was over), and leapt for her face, causing her to swing around and head where we wanted her to go. And she went without any trouble whatsoever the rest of the way.

One of Babe's problems is that she and our Aussie, MacLead, grew up together. She has never respected dogs as he, while eager to work any and every other bovine, would never work "his" Babe. She is 15 years old, and that's been the way it has been for 15 years. As neither Celt nor Bute are grippy dogs, she has just tended to go her merry way, knowing there would be no consequences to worry about. Not any more. She has met her match in a little homely dog. That's brag #1.

We have a third dog, Megan, who is apparently losing her hearing. If she gets behind the cattle, she moves them politely and quietly but, since she can't hear us say "that'll do", she doesn't know when to stop. So, yesterday, Megan was helping Ed move the recently-weaned calves (26 of them, some well-dog-broke and some ready and bratty enough to challenge a dog that shows weakness). She moved them down towards the corner of the field where the wire gate led to the road. Only, when Ed tried to call her off, she didn't hear him and pushed them into the corner, the gate broke under their pressure, and half the group went out into the road.

Now, normally when being moved, they would go into the road and up the little bank and into the next field but that was closed, as they were not (intentionally) being moved there. At this point, with calves milling in the road, and some considering their options (go uphill or downhill, towards fun and excitement at the neighbors' or towards comfort with their mommas), Megan was well in over her head and Ed got hold of her and pulled her off. Celt, meanwhile, was anxiously "working" the calves from way up in the field (young animals are stressful for him, and so especially are corners and tight spots). He just kept flipping off the pressure.

Ed called, "Bute, Bute, get them" and the little homely dog swung into action. He zipped through the gate and into the road, bunched that dozen or so calves up into a tidy package, and brought them back through the gate and into the field, without really any words from Ed (as Bute is just getting his "away" and "come-bye" started on him). While Celt's instincts and worries were screaming at him (making him quite ineffective and not too responsive), and Megan's ears and lack of real abilities were making her more a hinderance than a help, Bute saw the job that needed doing and did it - because he's trying to be a partner. Just a homely little dog that wants to help get a job done. That's brag #2.

The homely little dog has saved the day before, and he will do it again. Funny how beautiful a homely little dog can be when he's doing a beautiful job.

[DeltaBluez Tess]

What a great story.


Bute is beautiful in my eyes.....

Diane

[MickeyDogs]

Yeah, Bute!!!!!!! You be de man!

[Shoofly]

Aw, way to go Bute!

[C Crocker]

The homely little dog has saved the day before, and he will do it again. Funny how beautiful a homely little dog can be when he's doing a beautiful job.
[/quote]





Sue,

Remember, pretty is as pretty does.


Carolyn

[Rebecca, Irena F...]

Hey, that was Robin's line! But she's got a new one. Both fit little Bute. I never thought he was ugly - I've a thing for wee black dogs.

I'm sending you a PM.

[Sue R]

Absolutely!

By the way, my husband and Bute did not hit if off at all when I brought the little tyke home. He was given to me because he was not saleable, with his defects (overshot jaw and cryptorchid were obvious; parasite/protozoan load, digestive difficulties, and possible skin issues were not obvious at the time).

Bute would have nothing to do with Ed for a whole month, until the day he realized that Ed was working in the kitchen, at the counter from which goodies came, and therefore had potential as a "friend of Bute". They have been thick as thieves since.

With Bute stepping up to save the day in his unstylish and gangly way, when my handsome, talented, flashy Celt could not handle the pressure, he has won Ed's thanks, respect, and admiration - and also his heart. He's homely, he's devoted, he's handy, and he's loved.

And I remember his "auntie" Deb baby-sitting him at Ethel's trial (when he was just a baby on his way to his new home) and big "brother" Celt was winning the first ever Novice class at Sunnybrook Farm's Blue Ridge Classic. What a good time we all had that day!

[ShoresDog]

What a great story! Thanks, Sue.

[1sheepdoggal]

Way to go Bute! You should have by now earned the coveted title of "Our go to dog!'

[Pippin's person]

That's just awesome--thanks for sharing, Sue

[Laurae]

Great story, Sue. Way to go, Bute!

[NRhodes]

That's great Sue! I'm glad to hear Bute is doing well.

[DeltaBluez Tess]

I think we all would love a pixs of Bute!!!

<tapping foot and waiting>

Diane

[juliepoudrier]

Sue,
I'm glad Bute's turning out to be a usful dog and that he was smart enough to win the hubby over quickly! Thanks for sharing your story.

J.

[stockdogranch]

Great story! Thanks for sharing,

A

[Tip's Mum]

I think we all would love a pixs of Bute!!!

<tapping foot and waiting>

Diane

Ditto!
tap... tap... tap...

[Carson Crazies]

I think he was pretty young here? These were from the Jan '07 Jack Knox clinic. Maybe his first time on sheep??

[Sue R]

You got it right, Laura! Thank you! You took the best pictures (practically the only pictures) I know of that show Bute on stock.

He is one of those dogs that runs way down low, with his head close to the ground, when he works - that is, unless he's up close to the cattle's rear ends and is nipping at their hocks. Which bad behavior he will have to modify to nipping at heels, before he gets his head kicked hard.

I think of him as a ground skimmer, one of those slinky-looking dogs. I don't expect he will even make a Novice level dog without a lot of training but what he picks up on the job at home, he is doing very nicely and serviceably. It's getting the job done well that counts most for us.

[PSmitty]

That's homely?? No way! Great story, Sue. Good boy, Bute.