Celebrate Country Canines
(Page 3 of 3)
January/February 2008
Jerry Schleicher
Most country dogs love to hunt, and they will eagerly spend hours chasing rabbits or squirrels, even if they’ve never actually caught one. If you’re a bird hunter, country dogs just assume they’re invited to participate. Unless your dog instinctively knows how to point and retrieve, however, there’s a good chance he’ll flush out the pheasants or quail long before you’re within shotgun range. A few country dogs are sensitive enough to head for home (or the safety of the pickup) when the first shots are fired – but they’ll be first in line to come along next time you head to the field.
RELATED CONTENT
The Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, Maine, focuses on fun, farming and country living....
If you like country music, or Western music - or would just like to learn the difference - you migh...
In addition to serving as watchdogs, some breeds can do other jobs around the homestead. These bree...
Some insurance companies charge higher premiums – or even deny coverage – to homeowners who have sp...
Country dogs will bravely mix it up with snakes, coyotes and big cats. But sometimes their curiosity can get the best of them. More than once, our dog Bobby came home with a muzzle full of porcupine quills, reeking of skunk or with his nose scratched up after a midnight encounter with a raccoon. But despite his misadventures, I don’t think Bobby would have traded his rural life for one in town for all the kibble in the county.
Mark Twain wrote that Huck came and went at his own free will, could go fishing or swimming when and where he chose, and stay as long as it suited him. He didn’t have to go to school or church, never had to wash, nor put on clean clothes. In a word, wrote Twain, “everything that goes to make life precious.”
Folks, that pretty well sums up the life of a country dog.
Jerry Schleicher is a country writer and cowboy poet who lives in Parkville, Missouri.
Page:
<< Previous 1 |
2 | 3 |