The Best Cattle Dog Ever

By Denise Anderson First Published June 10, 1994 “I've got a cattle dog I'll bet no one can beat,” my neighbor Alvin stated. "She's so good, I can herd cattle with the help of no one but her.”All the guys were spending a rainy morning in the coffee shop, swapping stories about farming and life in general. Most guffawed at Alvin's bold statement, including me. We've all seen Alvin's sorry excuse of a dog. It's an unidentifiable breed of mutt that howls all night, sleeps all day and is truly a watch dog. If anyone came on his place, that dog would probably watch them cart away Alvin's entire farm. Not only that, when awake, the dog, which must be pushing 15 years old, moves at the same speed as Alvin --- slow.“Laugh if you will,” Alvin sniffed indignantly, “but it's true just the same.”“She probably barks at the cattle and is constantly underfoot,” Carl snorted.“More likely, she falls asleep in the pickup and skips the entire exercise,” Mitch Wilson put in.“I wouldn't be surprised if it does work,” Mitch's brother, Hank, said. “That dog probably gets those cows to laughing so hard, they forget to be ornery and just do whatever Alvin says.”Alvin leaned forward with a satisfied smile on his face. “Let me tell you about this cattle dog,” he said. “Then, if you're nice, I might let you come out sometime and watch us work.”Sure, she's not much to look at, and she has a silly name like Tiger Lily, named by the grandkids, Alvin said, but he calls her Tigger. She faithfully accompanies him out to check on the cows when they're calving and never makes a sound to frighten any of them.“She knows when it's time to move them and will even keep the cows from getting through an open spot, just by sitting there and looking like the boss,” Alvin continued.“The cows probably just don't want to step over her,” Carl interrupted.That might be, Alvin conceded, but the fact is, Tigger keeps every cow in line, and in addition, she's always one step ahead of him. She knows where he wants those cows to go and unlike his wife Mabel, will dash from one place to another without complaining and be in the proper place at the proper time.That does sound like one impressive cattle dog, we all had to finally admit. How did he train her and where can we get one?“Sorry, she's one of a kind,” Alvin said. “And I didn't have to train her, she just did it. But you know the best part about her?”There was more?“Yep,” Alvin said, “There's more. When we're all done, she sidles up to me and I give her a ride home on my shoulders.”That big, old mutt? we asked. It was unbelievable.“Mutt?” Alvin asked. “Who said I was talking about a mutt? Tigger is no mutt.”He finished his coffee and stood up.“Actually,” he said, adjusting his hat, “That cattle dog is really a cat. And the best friend I ever had.”

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