FARM PETS AND ANIMALS

             Most farm kids in my day had a dog or more and their job was to mainly act as an alarm system and companionship. Most dogs were not allowed in the home, at least not ours. My dogs must have done "their thing" in places that out of the way because it didn't seem that we ever had a problem or need for a "pooper-scooper.  I had two dogs that were both black Cocker Spaniels--Blackie and Midnight. They didn't do anything fancy or hunt. They were just good "pals" plain and simple.

      My older sister, Doris, had a Collie named Brownie. As the story goes, she had gone into a pig pen and made a mother sow very angry and was trying to attack Doris. Brownie kept itself between Doris and the sow and kept barking until my folks came to rescue her. My younger sister, Deborah, had a Shetland pony named Rocky. I was never fond of that animal as I was the one who generally fed it and it could be mean and bite on occasion. 

        During the 1950's, I raised  Hereford baby calves when I was involved in 4-H. They were provided by my Uncle Paul and Tommy Laverty as they raised Hereford cattle at the time.  One year, I had a steer named Jasper and the following year raised two calves named Tom & Jerry, after the cartoon characters at the time. They weren't big prize winners at the Marshall County Fair, but, taught me responsibility and caring of animals. 

       Also, as a teenager, I helped feed out young calves until they were yearlings for my uncles. Sometimes I would sit in the area where they were and just study their faces and realize how different animals are! Maybe weird I know!  Lastly, at one time I had and raised three ducks named Huey, Dewey, and Louie. I kept them in this home-made portable wire pen so they could move around and eat grass. Never sure what become of them!`