Dogs

Lily, Teddi, Candy, Spud, Bubba, Midnight, Daisy, Sugar, Buffy, Ticky, Ham Bone, Brutus, Paladin and in truth the list could go on much longer. They are some of the dogs that have blessed our family with their companionship. The story of our family could not be told without dogs. It seems no matter how far back you go with pictures they are with us.

The handsome fella in the front is Jack. The folks with him are George and Byrd Oyler my great grandparents. The picture was taken at University Park in St. Louis in 1933. It is interesting that going through photos I have so many with people I cannot name and ones with dogs that I can.

This is my grandmother Byrdis Oyler Sutor with Molasses. This picture was taken at the home farm near Wataga in the mid 1930's.

This is Byrdis again in 1965 on vacation with her dog Surry. Byrdis kept a dog family history from the late 1940's to about 1960. Those records indicate that Surry was born in November 1950 from the union of Mo and Tippy. She was my grandmother's constant companion when I was a youngster. You had to treat Surry with respect or she would take a chunk out of you. Whatever Surry did to you was your fault. At least that is how grandma saw it.

This 1936 picture shows Coley riding a horse with Byrdis looking on. Keep in mind this was back in the day when much of the work on the farm still required the use of horse power. Coley was not just posing for the camera he apparently often enjoyed riding along with the horses. I guess what is missing here is a window for him to stick his head out of as they speed along.

This fine fellow is Fergus. The picture was taken in 1964. Fergus and I both arrived on the farm in March 1954 so when this was taken we were both about 10 years old. He was a wonderful dog and my grandfather John's constant companion.

 This picture was taken in the 1980's and is Grandpa with Phillip.

 This is another picture from 1964 and of the four dogs I can only name Fergus. The others are lost to me in the mists of time.

This I will admit is one of my favorite pictures. In the foreground is Phillip. The fine pooch on the table is Wilbur. This picture was taken in the fall during harvest. The device next to the dog is a moisture tester for grain. We would dry grain on the farm and during the day Grandpa, supervised by Wilbur and Phillip, would run the corn dryer. Wilbur, you can tell by looking, was a bit of a trouble maker. He would from time to time run away to spend a little time with the ladies in Galesburg. This would result in Grandpa going to town to bail him out of "jail". As befitting a criminal he would be hooked to a chain that was screwed into a chunk of railroad tie. Wilbur would drag the tie around for a few days as a reminder that going to town for a piece of ass had its price. He would stick around for a while and then hormones and the call of the wild would send him back to town. The last time it happened Grandpa sat Wilbur down and told him he would not bail him out again. Don't ask me why or how it worked but Wilbur never ran off again.

I close this post with these three. Spud on the left, Midnight in front of Bubba. They were the smartest dogs we ever had. If you ever have the chance to share your life with a Boarder Collie do so. They are absolutely wonderful companions. Just be prepared. Sometimes they know what you want but they refuse to obey. Usually because they have looked a step or two ahead of you and have seen something coming you didn't. They would lay in the yard like this for hours paying no attention to the weather on guard to protect their herd, us.