Working Like a Dog
Pushing Cattle Around the Clock
3:45 A.M.
The dogs have just enough time for a quick bowl of food while their owners finish their cereal. Within minutes everyone arrives at the tack shed.
4:00 A.M.
With anticipation thick in the frigid pre-dawn air, the dogs do their best to wait patiently for everyone to saddle up for the long cattle drive.
4:30 A.M.
As a faint glow begins in the eastern sky, the dogs and riders arrive at the holding pastures to gather the herd. Miraculously, the dogs and riders manage to find the herd of Black Angus cattle in the pre-dawn light. Soon 1,000 black silhouettes begin moving in the same direction with a steady fluid-like motion.
5:30 A.M.
The sky is now filled with a beautiful golden light and the dogs are hard at work pushing the cattle and nipping at their heels when necessary.
7:00 A.M.
The day is heating up and the dogs are each showing their strengths and weaknesses. The high-energy McNabs and younger dogs push the cattle tirelessly as the older ones begin to slow down. Leroy, the family Beagle, though not exactly built for speed, gets high marks for his determination, but is also falling behind.
9:00 A.M.
One of the calves, likely fed up with the dust and crowd, bolts from the herd. A high-speed chase ensues with Pokey, a McNab, and Roper, the young Australian Shepherd, in hot pursuit. Once the calf is back in the herd, the dogs trot proudly back to their owners. Their eyes meet and receive a look of “job well done” and then the dogs go right back to work.
10:30 A.M.
The temperature rises along with the clouds of dust as the morning wears on. As the large string of cattle pass a spring, both canine and bovine take a quick drink. Before the cattle get too far ahead, the dogs sneak a muddy dip to cool off.
12:00 P.M.
With the cattle now in their evening holding pasture, trucks arrive with horse trailers to take everyone back to the ranch. But before the eight-mile drive back to ranch headquarters, it’s time for a break. The horses graze on fresh grass, the riders enjoy coffee & cookies, and the dogs retreat to the shade offered by the trucks and trailers.
12:30 P.M.
The dogs all hop in the back of the trucks and settle in for the ride home. The older dogs curl up in whatever shade they can find, while others ride with their face to the wind enjoying the free ride.
1:00 P.M.
After lunch at the ranch there are chores and fences to fix. A few of the dogs will tag along but for most it’s time for a well-deserved nap in the shade. The rest will be important for these working cattle dogs as the next day’s 3:45 A.M. start of another eight-mile cattle drive will soon be upon these dedicated ranch hands.
Captions:
1. You can’t help but wonder if Leroy, the family Beagle, wishes he were adopted by rabbit farmers instead of cattle ranchers.
2. Josie, a Blue Heeler, nips at the heels of a calf falling behind with Darla poised to help out.
3. Roper, an Australian Shepherd, and Pokey, a McNab, work together to return a stubborn stray calf back to the herd. By the look on their faces you can tell these dogs love their work!
4. Jace Poulsen and Roper watch as the herd enters the Centennial Valley in southwest Montana.
5. The bond between Jace and Roper is evident as Jace gives Roper a little scratch. The Martinell Ranch uses dogs and riders in favor of all-terrain vehicles to help reduce stress on the cattle when they are being moved.
6. While the other dogs ride home in trucks, Roper is happy to ride on his master’s motorbike.
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