What's the Best Breed of Dog?

From the Book - Jimmy Catfish (The Beginning and the End) by Bill Russo

In August Cisco DaSilva decided to get a dog to help with his burgeoning little farming operation.  He wondered what breed he should buy and went one day to The A-P General Store to learn what the owner, Anse, who seemed to know a lot about everything, knew about farm dogs.

They sat at a table near the wood stove in the center of the store drinking Chock Full of Nuts Coffee  from New York, and eating common crackers out of the ever present wooden barrel that was next to the equally prominent open container of dill pickles.

"There are no nuts in this coffee are there?" joked Cisco. 

AP laughed and was pleased to see his neighbor coming more out of his hard shell as each week passed. 

"Nope Mr. da Silva, there ain’t no nuts in 'Chock Full of Nuts' - just beans....coffee beans!"

"Please call me Cisco, AP.  You have been a good friend, much more than just a storekeeper and I do appreciate it. As a sea captain, I always had the ability to know whose counsel to take, and I think you are a man who is worth listening to - even if it sometimes takes you a mile or two to tell about fifty feet of story!"

"Thanks Cisco," laughed Anse.  "I'll consider that a high compliment. What do you want to know about dogs?"

"What kind should I get to help me on the 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.”  

"Well  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.   

The strange lake on Cape Cod, where Jimmy Catfish lived and died. 

Jimmy Catfish by Bill Russo is available on Kindle, Smashwords, Apple, Barnes and Noble and all major retailers. 

 -0-