The Feist Manifesto?

The dog trainer I'm working with & learning from seems to think Chloe is a "Feist" or some sort of mix thereof. But the "Feist Manifesto" just doesn't have the same ring to it. So even if he is right, the blog's name remains the same. (and I've filled my rhyme quota for the day).

Chloe is a shelter mutt. Australian Cattle Dog mixed with Basenji is a "best guess" based on her appearance and temperament. Genes do weird things when mixed with one another. There are no absolutes. There's nothing in her outward appearance to say she could NOT be mixed with either breed. Her color ("tipped" red sable) is genetically possible in Basenjis. Her upright ears could have been handed down from both Basenjis and ACD's. Her tail curls over her back when she's excited. She yodels and makes Chewbacca noises more often than she barks. She tries to "herd" birds in the backyard. She is biddable, owner-focused and a super quick learner.

Only Jesus himself knows what she's really mixed with. (And rumor has it, He wept when she was born.) I have nothing but the utmost respect for the knowledge & experience that this dog trainer has, so I'm not discounting the "feist" idea. I know a feist is a widely varied "type" of hunting dog, rather than a breed- so it's certainly possible Chloe could fit such a widely defined type of dog. But on the other hand, guessing the heritage of a stray shelter dog is certainly never an exact science. It's anybody's guess!

I dunno. You be the judge. Here's a couple pics of Chloe, along with a red Basenji and a red Australian Cattle Dog:




Red Basenji:


Red Aus. Cattle Dog (aka "Red Heeler")



Finally, a couple pics of "Mountain Feists" I was able to find- these are the only ones that even remotely resemble Chloe:




Any thoughts are welcome :)

You know it's rural

For somebody who grew up in densely populated central Florida, it never ceases to amaze me that I can "commute" exactly 50 miles from my driveway to the kennel, and I can count the number of vehicles I see on both hands. On some mornings I can count them on one hand. That's 50 miles, with an average of one car every 10 miles.

And I have gotten to "know" my fellow commuters. Every day when I drive to work, I see the same car going the other way. That's how few vehicles there are- I can pick out a single car, and watch for it every single day.

Every day. A blue Nissan Altima. Whoever's driving it has a long commute, even longer than mine- I've left the house an hour early and passed her on US 231, some 40 miles away from my house. I've left the house 30 mins late, and passed her driving through my town on SR 25.

Just another one of the mind-boggling yet perfectly pleasing aspects of life here in the middle of nowhere.



I mean this Deliverance picture in the best possible way. No, really. I do. :)

Meet the Dogs (and Fred)

What would the Cattle Dog Manifesto be if there weren't any dogs?

(It would be an even more odd title, for one thing.)

So, here's a glimpse of the critters who are My Inspiration for this blog, and for life in general. And Fred, who is making it all possible. Dogs first, in order of seniority (since apparently this is a Teamsters-run operation; or so they claim):

Jibini the Basenji. Registered name Hacker's Mister Bean. Almost 9 years old. Tricolor male, neutered. I have had Jibini since he was a puppy- but he'd tell you HE'S the one who has been in charge all this time. Jibini is my first Basenji. He has taught me patience, humility, and to always put the toilet paper out of reach. Jibini is a CDL-holding Truck Driver; he owned his own trucking company (Bean-Dog Trucking) from 2001-2003 and apparently had "ladies" in every town from Miami to Tacoma. That is, until he got in trouble for unpaid puppy-support and his involvement in a Colombian cocaine-smuggling ring. After his assets were seized, I got my CDL and occasionally let him drive- as long as he behaved himself. Jibini has kept his nose clean (pun intended) for the better part of 4 years now; he is maturing into a dignified older gentleman and has even grown out of his habit of eating underwear.



Tana the Basenji. Adopted from Basenji Rescue and Transport (BRAT) Almost 4 years old, former puppymill breeding female. I have had Tana for about a year and a half now. She was scared of her own shadow when I adopted her; she has fully blossomed and is now a playful, confident dog. She is tiny for a Basenji at only 14 pounds- but she is feisty, fast and tough- having "asserted" herself to both Jibini and the much-larger Chloe (see below). Tana is the best "snuggle-dog" out of all 3, and conducts herself as if she were a princess. If she were human she would wear designer clothes with a diamond tiara, have a perfect manicure, and would be hiding a switchblade in her stocking, ready to disembowel anybody who looked at her cross-eyed. :)


Chloe the Australian Cattle Dog/Basenji mix. Also known as The Abomination. Frighteningly intelligent; I've been formally warned by Homeland Security to keep this dog away from military bases and nuclear power plants. Chloe was adopted from a shelter in Connecticut where she was picked up as a stray. She came to my attention through an online friend who knew I was familiar with Basenjis. Chloe was energetic, neurotic and frustrated living in a kennel and it was evident she needed the "right" home. Knowing the traits of both breeds & fully aware of the potential NIGHTMARE that the "wrong" combination of breed traits could create....I agreed to take her. (Of course I'm crazy, I have Basenjis.) Initially I agreed to FOSTER her, and she was flown to Omaha (4 hours away from me) so I could bring her to my home. Within a couple weeks it was apparent I was going to KEEP HER. She is intelligent, affectionate and tons of fun. My house is hairier, my carpet is vacuumed much more often and my ass is forced up off the couch twice as often to keep The Cattledog well-exercised. I love it. Seeing Chloe's potential and watching her blossom has been more motivation to pursue my goals in South Dakota. I plan to take her for a Herding Instinct test soon- perhaps she will prove to be the City Cattledog who realizes her heart's desire :).



And I can't forget my "better half", Fred....Jibini insisted he be listed last because he's not a Teamster (we are both card-carrying OOIDA members thank you very much). Behind the scenes, he's the main one keeping this all together while I am in the learning phase of becoming a dog trainer. Financial, moral, emotional and mechanical support. He also lifts heavy objects, blows the jake brakes for me on his way into town, and prances around naked when necessary. Everything I could ask for in a man. If I know him (and after spending the better part of 3 years living with him in a truck, I think I know him fairly well) he won't be at all offended at being included with the "dogs" post in this blog. He knows how much I love the dogs & he should also know I love him at least 10 times more ;)

From City to Country....A Cattle Dog Who Has Never Met A Cow.

This blog is not about cattle. It's not specifically about Cattle Dogs, or any other type of livestock herding dog, though there IS an Aus. Cattle Dog mix involved (among others). Dogs- of all types- are sure to be a central focus of this blog. So if you're a dog lover and have stumbled here by accident, perhaps you'll find something to your liking.

What I intend this to be, is a chronicle of a life in transition. An upheaval of everything- a career, a lifestyle, everything I find familiar & comfortable. Getting back to basics; however cliche` it may sound. I'm following an inner drive- a yearning to do something- the longer I pursue it, the closer I come to finding what I'm looking for. Like a city-born cattle dog who's never met a cow, but goes around trying to herd things anyway. If she keeps at it, and ends up in the right place at the right time....sooner or later, she'll end up nipping at the heels of the cattle she never knew she wanted so much.

I was born and raised in suburban Florida, and two years ago I found myself in South Dakota, chasing an over-the-road trucking job. When the job didn't work out and the economy flatlined; I found myself ready to get away from trucking (I did it for 5 yrs). I also found myself unwilling to leave South Dakota. The cold winters didn't faze me, the cheap cost of living enticed me....and something I couldn't quite put my finger on, captivated me. Cows in the fields, tractors on the roads, tiny towns where silos were skyscrapers. Vast stretches of two-lane road where I could be the only vehicle for 20 miles. Friendly folks who waved as they passed and didn't think twice about removing their keys from their cars when they parked outside the grocery store. Things unfamiliar- almost alien- to someone like me....and for some reason, I found myself falling in love with a place so simple, peaceful and at the same time new & mysterious.

I've since decided to embrace this place- and find a permanent way to make a living that will be enjoyable for me AND will enable me to live out in the country permanently. Always an avid dog lover, by some glorious stroke of fortune I've found somebody willing to teach me how to train hunting dogs; a profession that might just pay the bills one day here in pheasant country. But I've got a long way to go yet before that happens. For now, it gives me a good reason to get out of bed in the morning, and that's more than I could have asked for 2 years ago.

I've got a long way to go in general. At the risk of sounding like so many other suburbanites who have fled to the countryside with idyllic visions of "homesteading" and becoming "self sufficient"....it's pretty much what I've got in mind too. However without the financial means to invest in property and tackle it all at once, I'm forced to take everything one step at a time. It's frustrating- but hopefully I'll avoid the pitfalls of being "up to my armpits" in unexpected challenges & not a clue how to handle them.

I don't currently own property (I rent). I don't own livestock...hell, I've never laid my hands on a live chicken, let alone eaten a fresh egg still warm from the chicken's ass. I've never planted a garden; at this point I've had poor luck keeping houseplants alive. The very idea of canning frightens me. Sewing machines send me into paroxsyms of hysteria. I can't tell a Simmental from an Angus; and as much as I like the sight of peaceful cows grazing in a meadow- they scare the hell out of me up close. I've never operated a lawnmower, never tilled soil, never pulled weeds. I've never shot a shotgun (just handguns- and only once). For that matter, I've never killed a live animal, except for fish and roadkill. And yet, here I am not only wanting to raise a few chickens and a goat or two....I'm hell-bent on moving to the heart of pheasant country, learning to train bird dogs, which will eventually entail going out pheasant hunting with my own dogs, at some point.

I am fairly certain I've got the chutzpah for it all- I've never been the squeamish type and I'm certainly not a bunny-hugger. What's difficult to handle are the incredulous looks I get from locals, when I admit ignorance to these things that are second-nature to them. Not too many "homesteading suburbanites" make it as far out as central South Dakota; I am an oddity. I embarrass too easily. The learning process is going to be a long one- not because I'm a slow learner, but because the more I learn, the more I realize I didn't know I needed to learn in the first place!!

So this blog will hopefully have it all. Dog training. Human training. A city kid's viewpoint on a "new and exciting" country life, that will hopefully strike a chord with those who can personally relate to my 'journey' AND those who cannot :).