Anyone watching the trade fiasco on TV lately concerning the “leader” of our southern neighbour would wonder what his knowledge of working with animals (humans being at the top of the class) would be.
Our farm has dealt with dozens of cattle buyers and truckers over the years, and their knowledge of working with animals varied greatly. Some truckers could talk and move quietly around the animals and coax them up a ramp and into a trailer or truck with a flake of hay or a handful of grain. Others would shout, wave their arms or a heavy wooden cane which would chase the animals to the other end of a pen (or field), and ruin your entire day trying to get the desired animal persuaded to come anywhere near the trailer or truck. We had a very close neighbour, a truck driver, who would come alone without the buyer to load cattle because, as soon as that buyer would begin to shout or wave his cane, the entire morning was lost.
I loved going with my dad and grandpa to visit the cattle on pasture. Grandpa always took a little pail of grain and a little salt when we went to check the condition of the herd on pasture. As soon as the animals saw or heard the old truck coming, they would all run towards the truck. They knew that salt and grain was with dad and grandpa. They would hang around to let dad and grandpa look them all over for a sore foot or how close some were to calving. They loved having their heads scratched, too. If anyone entered the field that they didn’t know or who didn’t have a pail with them, the cattle might come, but usually didn’t. Animals are smart to figure out who they like or not.
Pigs are the same. Pigs love to get their backs scratched, and always come with you for a little provender. Usually, they will follow you and the grain right onto the trailer.
We always had a large group of cats in our barn that kept the mice population under control. If you wanted to pet or even get close to those barn cats, you spoke softly and always fed enough milk in the big cat’s dish to fill them all up. If someone wanted a new pet, dad always told the prospective owner that not only were they free, but they came with a lifetime guarantee. If one died or ran away, a new replacement would be free too.
An old friend of mine used to have the most favoured garage in town to fix your car. Like most local garages, it had a bench where the old-timers would congregate to watch my friend perform his magic on a vehicle while talking over important stuff. My friend always kept a little dog with him for company. As the dog got older, my friend trained him to fetch different tools so he didn’t have to keep running back and forth from the vehicle to the wrench drawer. One hot Friday evening in summer, an old-timer was sitting on the bench watching my friend changing a very rusty, stubborn exhaust system on a car, and while under the car he asked the dog to bring him a hammer. The little dog went to the work bench and returned with a hammer. Then my friend asked for a cold chisel. The dog went to the bench and brought back a chisel. Then he required a half-inch combination wrench for the muffler clamp. The dog went to the wrench drawer and came back with a half-inch wrench. The old fellow watching from the bench said, “Is that ever a smart dog. How do you ever teach a dog to be that smart?” After banging his finger a few times and eventually throwing the old muffler out on the floor, my friend replied, “Well, first, you have to have more brains than the dog!”
Grandpa had a saying: “You catch more flies with sugar than salt.” I wonder if the present president of our neighbour country south of us ever tried to herd cats or load hogs?
