Man's best friend

He’s the hardest worker I’ve ever seen. He is up before the sun is and doesn’t rest until everyone else is safe in their beds. On hot days, he will jump into a tank for a dip.

His name is Spud and he is a ranch dog.

He helps round up cattle on foot. Spud runs from the front of the herd to the back, barking and biting at the cows to get them to move faster. He knows how cows act when you are behind them or if you stand in front of them. He has taken down coyotes, rabbits and anything else that moves that comes too close to the house. He greets people by dancing around them before collapsing on his back for a belly run in the sun.

With all the running he does, he still weighs almost a hundred pounds. His back is so wide you could balance a tray full of drinks on him.

Lately, he is becoming too old, tired and big to do the long cattle drives. A younger dog named Hank will soon step into Spud’s spot of lead ranch dog and Spud will retire in the shop. It’s bittersweet to take a different dog on a cattle drive and coax Spud into staying in the shop. He had already tried to jump on the truck twice to come along.

This weekend, Spud hung around my feet as I doctored a cow that had been mauled by coyotes. The rest of the family had gone to round up calves to be branded. Spud tried to follow them and I yelled after him. He came back reluctantly and was on pins and needles until the rest of the crew came back.

After about 20 minutes of passing back and forth through different corals, a small herd of cows came over a hill with my mother-in-law and husband behind them. Spud’s tail began wagging like he was just presented a big pile of deer guts, his favorite treat. He danced around me until the cows passed us and went into the corral. My husband and mother-in-law took off over the hill on their four-wheelers and Spud ran after them at full speed. I yelled for Spud but he never looked back. He was on a mission to help. His tail zigzagged between the tall weeds and brush.

A few minutes later, he came back down the hill at a much slower pace. He collapsed at my feet and I told him to stay. He repeated his gallop up the hill two more times. Every time he came back slower and panting heavier. He tried so hard but never did catch up with the rest of the crew and the cow herd.

During the weekend branding, Spud lay in the middle of the corral, fast asleep. After a pair of calf testicles were tossed his way, he would open one eye and gobble them up. He never moved, only to get under a truck when it started to rain.

It made me realize how much the ranch is a part of Spud and how much Spud is a part of the ranch. He is stubborn and wants to help even when his body is telling him to just stay in the sun with his belly pointed up for any passerby to scratch. I don’t think he will ever stop helping, it’s in his blood to help out. Spud could never get enough love and praise for the work he does. He is the definition of ‘man’s best friend.’