Code's Story

Tom,

Wanted to share some of my favorite Codes' stories with everyone.

We live in the Ozarks, which is cattle country. The motto should be, if you don't have a blue heeler, you don't have a real dog. So it takes quite a bit to convince the old-timers around here that your ATS is a natural herder. I've enjoyed being able to join in and tell the good old boys about the time my dog herded a deer.

When Codes was young we lived out in the country on 45 acres bordered by national forest land. One day when she was about 6 months old we went for a walk. On the way home, Codes ran off the path into the forest. I didn't think much about it, I figured she was chasing a squirrel. Suddenly I heard this tremendous crashing and hoof beats and as I turned the bend, here came a deer at full run with Codes in hot pursuit. She drove that poor thing right up the trail and darn near over the top of me. I had to actually step out of the way or it would have run over me.

You should have seen the look on Codes' face when she saw me let the deer go. If she wasn't such a sweet dog, I think she would have bitten me. She gave me a look that as much as said, "For crying out loud, I brought it right to you. All you had to do was reach out and grab it you dummy!"! She stood there for a minute, let out a sigh, then trotted on home, shaking her head. I guess she sort of gave up on teaching me to hunt because she hasn't brought me another deer since that day.

That was not the end of her herding adventures, though. Along with lots of wild life, we also had some wild cattle that used to roam around the area. These were cattle that had gotten loose and had been running wild for several years. There were about a dozen cows running with a Brahma bull.

Now, cattle that have gone wild are not animals to be messed with. They are mean, dangerous critters.

.....One day, the neighbor stopped by to tell us these cattle were on his property. He had tried to run them off with his dog ("the best darn cattle dog in the country"), but with no luck. He didn't know what to do, if his dog couldn't move them, no dog could. The next day Codes and I were out, and spotted them. Having lots of time, I thought I would just see if Codes could do anything with them. She had never had any training, but she had helped us with our cattle, and just seems to know what needs to be done. Well, let me tell you, she had those cows herded up and driven off the property in no time. She knew just how to group them up, then test each one until she found a cow that she could turn. Next time a saw the neighbor I told him we had taken care of the cattle. I know he never did believe that our "shepherd" was a better cattle dog than his!

Hope you enjoy the "Tundra Tales".

Deb