Here I am again, The Hoot’s resident farm boy apparently. Here for another installment on what farm equipment I use and how I rate it. When I had last asked our fearless leader of free thought and expressions (also known as our Opinions editor) about what tool I should cover next, what came out of his mouth was NOT surprising. He had suggested I write about the importance of a good hoe on the farm.
What a child he is; at least he makes up for his naivety with his charming nature and good looks. A hoe is nothing to joke about with a farm boy I should have you all know! First, you have to find the right one for you. Some are kinkier than others at the end which can greatly contribute to how they turn your soil. Some have thicker shafts than others and require gloves if you are going to use it for some tough and sweaty work. To quote my great grandfather who told my youthful grandfather at the time, Cyrenius (that is not a joke—that is his actual name), “you gotta wrap it before you tap it young one.”
But I cannot allow myself to stoop to the level of our Opinions editor and validate his childish nature. Once he gets some dirt under his nails I will then embellish his primordial brain with simple jokes about hoes. But until then forget him! Forget his pretty face and forget his luscious hair! This is my article so I am going to determine what I want in it. So, with that being said I think it would only be fitting to discuss what makes a good farm dog and the ways in which the crackhead I live with that walks on four legs falls short.
To define the ideal farm dog is to envision a perfect worker. A good farm dog has no fear! He is willing to confront animals that are magnitudes in size larger than he is but look them right in the eyes and say, “I am the captain now!” A good farm dog hears every command and then executes them to perfection! The dog never questions what the command is that is being called but instead runs into the field and does exactly what was told. Then, what really seals the deal for a not-just-good-but-great, and dare I say perfect, farm dog is if they are a good family dog. We can all imagine what the ideal family dog looks like, but for a farm dog, the job of being a good family dog is harder. After a long day of running around and chasing sometimes unmoving and unwilling cattle, the dog has to still be excited to see the family, play with the kids and not get snappy.
To find the perfect farm dog in a lot of ways is like winning the lottery but when you find the one everything falls into place. But sometimes you will wind up with a dog like mine—Scout. Scout is NOT the perfect farm dog. Scout does not fear anything and by that I actually mean that he has super irrational fears. For instance, Scout is scared of water. Imagine that! A dog who is bred to be a water dog, a powerful swimmer and good in cold water, hates water with a passion. Does he drink water? Yes. Does he actively run away from the hose when it is turned on? Yes. Does he hate swimming? Yes. Scout has many fears but certainly being afraid of water limits his ability.
“Is Scout good at taking commands?” is most likely what you are wondering next if you read the previously listed criteria. Yes! Scout is really good at taking commands especially if you define being “good at taking commands” as actively not listening to commands in his old age. Scout has convinced my family that he is deaf but I know that scheming dog better than anyone. I think he has finally found a way to outsmart my family by playing up his old age. Scout uses the senile old dog card to get out of doing pretty much all of his commands nowadays. So, no, Scout is not good at that.
But is Scout a good family dog? Yes, and by this I actually mean yes. Being a part of Scout’s life has been one of my greatest honors. This dog when he was a puppy always wanted a part of the action when it came to affection. If my parents were hugging he would run between their legs and rub his head into their knees to ask for his own hugs. If I even sat on the floor for a moment he would jump into my legs and curl up into a ball, making it impossible for me to move as he would gently fall asleep and force me to remain on the floor for longer (making JLo and Pitbull proud). But when really determining what makes a good farm dog it is the last category that really matters. Because what it all comes down to, regardless of how hard-working the dog is, is if they make you happy. If just by being with you they lighten your day, then they are doing their job and putting in overtime without you even seeing it.
