Years ago, when we had more land here, cattle grazed the place. I’d feed them Lucerne (alfalfa?) cubes in the stockyards to get them wanting to go in there whether they needed rounding up or not. It wasn’t long before I could call the cows, and they would “stampede” to the stockyards and be waiting for ME, when I arrived! Much easier than racing about like a mad thing trying to get recalcitrant cows in the yards for any “maintenance”.
It was in the days of my most wonderful Landseer girl “Happy” and our retired Australian Cattle Dog “Misty” who’s “career” was as a guard dog and not working cattle. Cattle Dogs are hard working, instinctive and ideal for herding cattle – except for Misty who, before retirement, had never seen a cow in her life, except as dismembered portions to be gnawed upon.
The cows totally accepted Happy, she would quietly work the calves into the stockyard in the days before they understood how tasty the Lucerne cubes were.
Happy could wander about the cows who accepted her as one of them. However, Misty was a different matter. They knew Misty didn’t have a clue when it came to working them, and they really gave her h*ll whenever they could, charging after her – and it’s amazing how fast a cow can go when charging. Misty would always retreat back to my side, and then keep going with an angry cow at her heels instead of the other way around. One time a Poll Hereford was at Misty’s heels, and Misty was going flat out. Happy was contentedly sitting, watching the little drama. Misty raced straight to where Happy was sitting, cow still at her heels, then Misty did a sudden turn around behind Happy. Happy never even blinked, her ever pleasant smile remained as the cow bore down and did a sudden impossibly tight turn around Happy and continued off after the fleeing Misty.
Happy used to accompany me down the paddock when a cow was due to give birth. We wait in the darkness, some of the other cows might be standing nearby. If the mother needed assistance, it was given, generally they were fine. Then the cow and Happy would both clean the newborn calf together, and the new mum never minded. It always amazed me how clean my precious Happy kept herself at such times too. If another cow came over, the mum would usually hunt it off, however Happy was welcome to stay. If Misty came down the paddock at such times, the other cows would hunt her off – but Happy was totally accepted. Then we’d wait, watching the new-born calf try standing several times, then when successful at that endeavor, it would try walking, then, after re-learning how to stand a few more times, it would stagger to its mum’s side then suckle, and all was right with the world. As time went by, the first scent many of our cows sensed when entering the world was of Happy, probably another reason they accepted her.
After Happy crossed over Rainbow Bridge, Nanny Number Two then owned me, and she too had the same relationship with the resident bovines, only not to the same extent as did Happy. As with Happy, Nanny would slowly herd young calves to the stockyard until they knew to go in by themselves. If we bought some “new” cows to fatten, they would usually stand back shocked and amazed at the way the existing cows were so keen to enter the dreaded stockyard, however Nanny Number Two would slowly work them toward the yards – something Happy never did with new adults, she seemed to stand near the entrance to the yard and imply “this way”, and generally they complied, or at least came near enough to realize that there was good stuff inside. We’d feed molasses to the cows during drought times, both Happy and later, Nanny loved molasses, only Landseer Happy kept herself clean and unsticky, all Black Nanny obviously felt no one would notice any molasses on her coat and she really enjoyed herself! Ah, memories…………..
What memories would you care to share with the list about Newfoundlands past and present?
Arthur Witten
Thriller – I used to charge after cows, now they “kiss” me!