These farm dogs were companions and co-workers on the Oncken farm

There is a sort of a rule that follows a person as they age: the older one gets the more they remember about their past. That certainly applies to me. While lying in bed late one night, I got to thinking about the several farm dogs I grew up with on the farm.

The cows never forgot Teddy, our first farm dog

First there was Teddy, a mostly shepherd mix and a pure cow dog. He loved to help get bring up the cows morning and night. If the cows were late in getting to the barnyard I would go to the lane fence and yell at the top of my voice “Come boss!” loud enough for the cows to hear. I would then send Teddy to the pasture at full speed to round up the dairy herd.

A couple of woofs were all it took to get the herd moving at a leisurely pace toward the barn, with Teddy slowly following.

Eventually, Teddy aged out of his cow-getting job and passed on but the cows never forgot him. If they were behind schedule, one loud “Come Boss!” would bring them home.

This skinny, short-haired mutt was a true farmer's dog                                                                   

We didn't replace Teddy right away; it's not easy to find a friend of 15 years plus (a guess). But one day Dad came home carrying a skinny, short-haired, long-tail mutt.

“He was hanging from the barb-wire line fence,” he explained.

After a search of the neighboring farms, with no success in finding an owner, Dad said “I guess we'll have to keep him.” And we did for many years.

We named him Joe and he was a true farmer's friend kind of dog: always with you, barking at visitors, trying to corral a loose cow, heifer or pig but always failing because he was too fast. But all in all another great farm dog who left the scene when I was in college.

Mitzi filled a space in folks' lives after we kids left home                  

Then came Ruby, a female shepherd sort of nervous dog that my Dad purchased somewhere as a puppy. For some reason, Dad and Mother changed her name to Mitzi and I never knew why but that was fine with me as I was spending a lot of time at the UW.

Mitzi was sort of my parents' missing children, not a barn or cow dog but rather as a listener and companion. She also spent more time in the house than her predecessors (but not overnight).

I'm sure that most dairy farms still have a farm dog today serving as a companion or in some cases protecting the gas and diesel tanks from wandering thieves. 

Cats and calves always had a place on the farm                                       

Most farms have other animals that seem almost human. There were always lots of cats. Every year a new batch along with the mama cat who stayed on the farm while the young kittens were given away to friends and neighbors.

Looking back I fear we did a poor job in feeding the cats: too much milk, too little solid food. I guess we figured the cats would sort of feed themselves on rodents (mice) they found in the barn and other outbuildings. In any case, our cats had a rather high mortality rate but were fun to have around.

If you ever showed dairy calves at a fair you will understand how friendly they can become after some serious training. I often wondered if show animals understand what the show ring is all about, I believe they do. Next time you watch a cattle show note how the animal's head goes up, the eagerness in their stride in front of the judge, and being in a show with other animals. 

Yes, farming is more than raising crops, it's also loving the animals and watching them help you.

Contact John Oncken at jfodairy2@gmail.com