That's a question asked a million times a week and there are almost as many answers as there are inquiries!
Here's the advice the wiley old storekeeper Anse Peckins gives to Cisco DaSilva in the book, Jimmy Catfish:
"What kind of dog should I get to help me on my cranberry farm?"
"Well Cisco, it needs to be a working dog. There are
two kinds of working dogs. You got your
herders and you got your guarders.
Obviously the guarders live in the house with you and protect you and
your family. Those are dogs like the
Rottweilers, German Shepherds and Dobermans. They are loveable, big, strong and
will die for you but they are not very smart.
The herders: They're the most intelligent of canines. They will boss your herd; watch over your
sheep, your mules, your cows, your horses and even your chickens. To anybody who knows anything about herding
dogs, it begins and it ends with Border Collies. They’re acrobatic, faithful,
obedient, and the most intelligent and rational dogs in nature.”
"Listen Anse, I
think I need me a pretty big dog. What
kind of size do they have?"
"You know very well that it is not the size of the dog
in the fight. It's the size of the fight
in the dog that counts. They are about
half as big as a Rottweiler. They are
actually the perfect size, about 40 pounds for the male and a little less for
the girls."
Anse Peckins took da Silva to a breeder in 'old' Orleans, on
the outer tip of Cape Cod where they found a spectacular pup just over a year
old, who had a thick coat that was almost all black, with a large splash of
white at the throat. The most striking
feature of the energetic youngster was his big blue eyes that shined like
blazing opals.
Cisco immediately fell in love with the blue-eyed ball of
energy who reached his full growth rapidly and became a valuable asset to the
farm. He'd move the chickens where ever
Cisco wanted them. Bouncing like a prize
fighter, he'd scamper to and fro and round up the horses, mules, and cows that
comprised the growing herd.
The young collie
could even open the barn door when it was time to let the animals out to graze,
and then close it later after he had wrangled them back inside.
By actual count, Cisco said that "Blue" as he now
called his collie, understood over 1,000 English words and responded correctly
to them every single time.
In the bogs, Blue flooded or drained the cranberry vines by
grasping the handles of the dam valves with his mouth and opening or closing
them as needed.
The dog was even able to save the cost of a hired man at
harvest time. Cisco brought a long, thick rope to the back end of the bog and
ran it from one side to the other. Blue
grabbed one end of the rope in his mouth while Cisco tied his section to his
wheel-chair. Placing the rope on the
surface of the water, they dragged it to the opposite end of the flooded bog,
capturing the floating cranberries as they went along. Blue scampered up and down as if on springs
as he pulled his side, and Cisco's muscled arms easily moved the wheel chair
and his end of the rope. They wrestled
the ripe, floating berries to a corner for easy retrieval. The work went so well and swiftly that the
unlikely pair finished far ahead of schedule.
***
Excerpt from Jimmy Catfish, available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, Smashwords and all other major online retailers worldwide. https://www.amazon.com/Jimmy-Catfish-Beginning-Bill-Russo-ebook/dp/B00XH8XY9Q/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
https://www.amazon.com/Jimmy-Catfish-Beginning-Bill-Russo-ebook/dp/B00XH8XY9Q/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
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