Throwing My Loop…    

     He came into my life just when I needed him most. I was living alone then and welcomed the company. Just weaned and best described a ball of fuzz, the little blue merle seemed just as happy to be with me as I was with him. Like two new friends do when they are both young, we played constantly and had the best of times. On occasion, however, my new friend would tire of our games and hide. Needing a break from me, he would disappear. I would search the house to no avail. Finally, I found him hiding way back in the countless stacks of my books that were piling up in my house in those days, and I remember thinking, “Well, if my books don't sell, at least my dog will have a really nice place to hide.” Fourteen years ago now. There is no way the previous sentence can be true. Can't be fourteen years.
     Somewhere in those early days, I saw a trainer on television using small pieces of hot dog wieners as rewards for his dog. I thought that was the coolest thing. (I had no idea training a dog would be so easy.) So as soon as possible, Rowdy and I were the proud owners of his own personal package of weenies. Next thing you know, we are heading down the road to a roping - with the Row Cow in my lap eating the entire package. Like most bad decisions in life, it seemed such a good idea at the time. (To say Rowdy got sick is one of the funniest understatements of my life.) Hey, no one told me you can't feed an entire package of weenies to a puppy. Trust me when I tell you our vet, Dr. Kyle Pratt explained that little piece of knowledge in a way that I could really understand the complete stupidity of such an act. Dr. Pratt kept him for three days. Every time I called him to see if the pup was going to make it, he would say, “Like I told you before, Rowdy will tell us. We don't know yet.” Two days later I'm driving home from Atlanta, Georgia to Oklahoma when my cell rings. Dr. Pratt says, “I know you are driving 80 to get here. Just slow down.”
     “The pup didn't make it?” I asked.
     “The pup made it,” he says. “I'm going to keep him one more day, so slow down.”
     “Any other advice when he comes home?” I said.
     “Yes,” he says. “Try to keep him away from his owner. He's an idiot. And don't ever give Rowdy another weenie!”

     And Rowdy grew to be a fine cow dog. Fearless, he went after cattle with wild and reckless abandon. If he got kicked by some big bull, while flying through the air you could see him moving his body fighting to get back to that bull and mix it up some more. Skilled trainers say their dogs can recognize eleven commands. Rowdy had one down pat... “Get him!” The other ten not so good. I decided at least one of us should learn some manners. We signed up for a stock dog clinic in Amarillo conducted by the master, Oren Barnes.
     There were twelve participants in the class. Six women and their dogs, and five guys with theirs. These 11 dogs – and their companions – had won a number of competitions, and these dogs were so smart they could do algebra. And then there was me and Rowdy...who did not know one thing about math or training a dog. Nothing. No problemo. Not knowing how to do something never stopped Rowdy and Miguel from doing anything. But there was one thing. Even though we lacked any skill at this herding dog business whatsoever, Rowdy had a black wild rag around his neck tied just so...and so did I. We looked great! We both thought that was important because we just assumed you have to look good to work cows good. Clinic starts and well, things pretty much went down hill from there.
     Mr. Barns began the day with a fascinating lecture about the history of working dogs. Then he says, “Today, we will begin with a young dog who is aggressive, and hasn't had much training.”
     I'm thinking, “Man, how cool is that? I have a dog just like that. Rowdy and I can learn all kinds of things.”
     Then Mr. Barnes says, “Okay, Michael bring Rowdy in.”
     I almost fainted.
     There were 12 Barbados sheep huddled together in the center of the large round pen where Mr. Barnes was standing. Feeling like a parent at a recital, I walked in with Rowdy. He immediately bolts breaking free from his collar. With one soaring leap, Rowdy lands in the center of the huddled masses and sheep butts go everywhere. Rowdy has them on the run now. After free-wheeling around the pen for several minutes, Rowdy comes over and sits down right in front of me and says, “Pretty good for my first time, huh, Pop?” I wanted to die.
     With the kindness of angels, Mr. Barnes took control and soon all was well. The day proved to be one of the best in my life and in Rowdy's, too. At the end of that day – only because everyone else was so much better than us - Rowdy and I were named “Most Improved Team,” and presented with a 50 pound sack of dog food. One of my most cherished awards I've ever been given...until Rowdy ate it all in the next few days.
     And the days went by and they gathered speed. Rowdy and me flying down the road headed to too many ropings to remember. I wish I had written them all down. Well, not all of them – just the ones when I won something. That way I could sit on the porch and read them now, and by using that process, become in my own memory a much better cowboy than I ever was in real life.
     He went everywhere with me. I would tie him to the trailer at ropings so he could sit outside, and ask some child sitting in a lawn chair - by the arena fence watching her mother and dad rope - to keep an eye on Rowdy for me. They were only too happy to oblige. Once after about two hours into the roping, I rode over and asked a little girl, “How is Rowdy doing?” She stood up and after smoothing her dress, said in her best “third grade class presentation” voice, “I've been checking on him frequently, and I'm happy to tell you that Rowdy is doing very, very well-ly.”
     And the days went by and they gathered speed. And now? Now I come to the place where I break my vow. When I began some 20 plus years ago, I was saddened by the unhappiness in the world. I decided that when I would write, the words would be uplifting for people. I would not write about the negative things in life, but rather stories of hope about people, and horses, and dogs who helped me in my life.
And now I break my vow. Now...

Rowdy

Nino Que Amo
(Child that I Love)

Dec. 1, 2005 – Dec. 8, 2019

“To see the light, we must endure the burning.”
                                            -- Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 

Michael Johnson
 

    

BLUE and MIGUEL