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My son and his wife thought it would be a good idea to purchase a puppy for their daughters. A puppy would grow with the girls, possibly guarding the girls against the rattlesnakes which are prevalent in their area.

They purchased a puppy on a benefit auction. The puppy was born in Texas on Jan. 20. A pickup truck and trailer delivering horses further along the trail stopped with the puppy on May 9.

This Miniature Australian Shepherd has already become part of the family. My granddaughters have been taking him on walks as well as training him not to chase birds.

He has been proving his guard dog instincts. When it gets towards dusk, he gets a little growly at people walking around outside.

On June 12, a storm moved through just after dark. I would call it a tornado, but can’t say that with all certainty; because when the National Weather Service came out to my son’s farm, they themselves couldn’t decide whether it was a tornado or just very strong winds.

Nevertheless, the dog was in his house. The dog house flipped over on its side landing with the door side to the ground. When my son checked on him, the dog was content in the shed, probably thinking it was nighttime. There he stayed until morning as more storms moved throughout the night.

But, when morning came it was a different story. The dog was in an agitated state until he saw the girls safe and sound. He was happy as a lark. He is also displaying his watch dog instincts at dusk. He growls at everyone who comes near the house.

Oh yes, this dog has a name: Duke. The name garnered the most votes from family members.

I was surprised it wasn’t Balto. Balto, is the Siberian husky who became a hero when he was the guide dog on the dog sled mission trip to bring the Dipththeria vaccine to Nome.  The dreadful disease Diphtheria — which is often fatal, especially to young children — was ravaging families.

Unfortunately, the closest vaccines were in Anchorage, hundreds of miles away. It was winter. Thankfully the vaccines were moved to a closer town: Nenana, still over 480 miles from Nome according to some reports.  The Alaska archives says 674 miles. I haven’t traveled the route so I can’t prove which report is right. But I will agree that winter in Alaska can be brutal with strong winds and very frigid temperatures. When the mercury dips down to -40 F, it is not a trip for the faint of heart.

As the guide dog, Balto was responsible for leading the way. In its beginning years, the Iditarod honored the dogs and men who made this mercy trip in 1925. This story of Balto has been preserved in film, documentaries and books. In fact, it was my granddaughter who introduced me to Balto. One of the first books she read out loud to me was called Balto.

Doc Neumann was born a year after this famous trip. He and I wrote of some more challenging experiences with dogs in the book, “Get Up, Get Going” which records some of his experiences as a veterinarian. He also has some interesting stories of notable dogs that remain fresh in this 96-year-old gentleman’s mind.

Doc grew up on a farm just on the outskirts of Preston, Iowa. He started school when four years old. On his daily walk to school he had to walk by several homes that had dogs. They weren’t vicious dogs at all, but they still frightened him.

When his parents noticed this fear, they decided something had to be done. They felt that the best way to conquer this fear was to get him a dog.

His father studied the advertisements in the newspaper. There he read about some Great Dane puppies for sale in Danbury, a town in western  Iowa. He contacted them and a pup was soon purchased.

The Neumann farm was clear across the state on Iowa’s protruding bump near the Mississippi River. A bit far for a road trip in those days for most people. Thankfully, the trusty rail service would provide the transportation.

Finally, the day came when the Neumann family received a telephone call from the Preston Depot. There was some freight that needed to be picked up.

The family walked to the depot to find a recently weaned black and white puppy in an egg crate.  Some water and food had been provided for the puppy during his journey across the state in a freight train car.

They named her Doodles. This dog became a constant companion for Arlo and his brother Darryl whether they were just doodling around or working.

They trained the dog to pull a sled. This was especially handy when snowy winters and Preston’s hills provided the perfect combination for sledding. Doodles would not only pull the Neumann sled up the hill, but other children’s sleds were joined together to form a train for the return trip. Then the merriment started all over again.

When the boys went out to hunt squirrels, Doodles was part of their team. She seemed to know when they were ready to go to the timber. She would chase a squirrel up a tree, go to the other side, then one of the boys would get the prey — one at a time — for their supper meal.

Arlo’s mother always insisted that Doodles sleep outside or in the barn. That is until one cold, winter night. Mrs. Neumann had gotten up to warm up milk on the cook stove for the newest baby in the Neumann family when she heard a loud racket outdoors. It startled her. She made sure all the doors were locked.

The next morning, the family saw footprints in the snow. Someone had been peering into the kitchen window. Doodles possibly prevented trouble when she chased the person away.

After that, Mrs. Neumann relented, the dog could spend the night in the kitchen near the woodpile on the really cold nights. Iowa also gets cold in the winter. Well, maybe not quite as bad as Alaska.

Doodles lived with the Neumanns until her death during Arlo’s senior year. This Great Dane had his own look, as her ears were never cropped or the tail docked.

This next story was told to Doc Neumann by a friend who had a relative who fed cattle near Sioux Center. Cattle need to be fed daily. There are always gates to be opened and closed which takes time. But rounding up loose cattle is even a bigger headache. This man solved his problem with a good dog.

 The farmer would take his team and wagon out to feed the cattle. Once through the just opened gate, his dog would sit in this access to freedom area. The steers would not venture pass this guard dog.

That is how he farmer fed the cattle and accomplished all his other chores without worrying about his cattle fleeing with the gate open.  When the dog died, he froze the dog in a sitting position. Each day that winter, he simply set the dog in the opened gate while taking care of the cattle. It worked.

Another Neumann story involves my father-in-law.

One morning John Vander Schaaf called into the Sioux Vet Clinic requesting a veterinarian to come to the farm to treat a sick dairy cow.

When Doc got there he could not find a cow in the barn. The cows had already been turned out to the pasture. Now that is not a good thing. A veterinarian usually has a list of farmers wanting immediate attention, that he really doesn’t feel like waiting for the farmer to put the sick animal in the barn.

He went back to his truck, where he met Mr. Vander Schaaf. Doc told him that there were no cows in the barn.

Mr. Vander Schaaf assured that wasn’t a problem. His dog would simply go get the cow. He turned his attention to the collie. “Lassie, go get Josephine.” (I don’t know the cow’s name, but Josephine was one of my favorite cows when I milked.)

Lassie looked at him for a few second, then took off running. The two men walked back to the barn to open the door which led to the pasture. Soon Lassie returned with the one cow that Mr. Vander Schaaf had sent her after.

The fact that the dog would only bring the one cow needed impressed Doc Neumann immensely. It was one of the first stories he told about my father in law.

I think my grandchildren will enjoy growing up with their puppy.

Renae B. Vander Schaaf is an independent writer, author and speaker. Contact her at (605) 530-0017 or agripen@live.com.

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