THE CUR DOG. 
235 
may be that the sheep had been accustomed to place themselves under the guidance of the 
Dog, though they might have fled from the presence of the shepherd ; and that when they felt 
themselves bewildered in the darkness they were quite willing to entrust themselves to their 
well-known friend and guardian. 
The memory of the Shepherd’s Dog is singularly tenacious, as may appear from the fact 
that one of these Dogs, when assisting his master, for the first time, in conducting some sheep, 
experienced very great difficulty in guiding his charge among the many cross-roads and by- 
ways that intersected their route. But on the next journey he found but little hindrance, as 
he was able to remember the points which had caused him so much trouble on his former 
expedition, and to profit by the experience which he had then gained. 
The Drover’ s Dog is generally produced from the sheep-dog and the mastiff or fox- 
hound, and sometimes from the sheep-dog and the greyhound or pointer ; the peculiar mix- 
tures being employed to suit the different localities in which the Dog is intended to exercise its 
powers. In some places the Drover’s Dog is comparatively small, because the sheep are small, 
docile, and not very active. But when the sheep are large, agile, and vigorous, and can run 
over a large extent of ground, a much larger and more powerful animal is needed, in order to 
cope with the extended powers of the sheep which are committed to its guardianship. 
Although the Drover’ s Dog may be entrusted with the entire charge of the flock, its rightful 
vocation is the conveyance of the sheep from place to place. It will often learn its business so 
thoroughly that it will conduct a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle to the destined point, and 
then deliver up its charge to the person who is appointed to receive them. Not the least 
extraordinary part of its performance is, that it will conduct its own flock through the midst 
of other sheep without permitting a single sheep under its charge to escape, or allowing a 
single stranger to mix with its own flock. 
Such abilities as these can be applied to wrong purposes as well as to good ones, and there 
is a well-known story of a drover who was accustomed to steal sheep through the help of his 
Dog. His plan was to indicate, by some expressive gesture which the Dog well understood, the 
particular sheep which he wished to be added to his own flock, and then to send his flock 
forward under the guardianship of the Dog, while he remained with his companions at the 
public-house bar. The clever animal would then so craftily intermingle the two flocks that 
it contrived to entice the coveted sheep into its own flock, and then would drive them for- 
wards, carrying off the stolen sheep among the number. If the stratagem were not discovered, 
the owner of the Dog speedily changed the marks on the sheep, and thus merged them with 
his own legitimate property. If the fraud were detected, it was set down as an excusable 
mistake of the Dog, the stolen animals were restored, and the real thief escaped punishment. 
However, detection came at last, as it always does, sooner or later. 
The true Cur Dog is produced from the sheep-dog and the terrier, and is a most useful 
animal to the class of persons among whom it is generally found. It is rather apt to be petu- 
lant in its temper, and is singularly suspicious of strangers ; so that, although it is rather an 
unpleasant neighbor by reason of its perpetually noisy tongue, it is of the greatest service to 
the person to whom it belongs. It is an admirable house-dog, and specially honest, being 
capable of restraining its natural instincts, and of guarding its owner’s provisions, even 
though it may be almost perishing with hunger. 
The Cur is the acknowledged pest of the passing traveller, especially if he be mounted, or 
is driving, as it rushes out of its house at the sound of the strange footstep, and follows the 
supposed intruder with yelps and snaps until it flatters itself that it has completely put the 
enemy to flight. About the house the Cur is as useful as is the colley among the hills, for it 
is as ready to comprehend and execute the wishes of its master at home as is the sheep-dog on 
the hills. Indeed, if the two Dogs were to change places for a day or two, the Cur would 
manage better with the sheep than the sheep-dog would manage the household tasks. 
One principal reason of this distinction is, that a thorough-going sheep-dog is accustomed 
only to one line of action, and fails to comprehend anything that has no connection with sheep, 
