THE LAND — JULY 22/JULY 29, 2022
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www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
A good dog’s job is never done on the farm Unfortunately, the closA new dog in the family est vaccines were in reminds me of others Anchorage, hundreds of My son and his wife thought miles away. It was winit would be a good idea to purter. Thankfully the vacchase a puppy for their daughcines were moved to a ters. A puppy would grow with closer town: Nenana, the girls, possibly guarding the still over 480 miles from girls against the rattlesnakes Nome according to some which are prevalent in their FROM MY reports. The Alaska area. FARMHOUSE archives says 674 miles. They purchased a puppy on KITCHEN I haven’t traveled the a benefit auction. The puppy route so I can’t prove By Renae B. was born in Texas on Jan. 20. which report is right. Vander Schaaf A pickup truck and trailer But I will agree that delivering horses further along winter in Alaska can be brutal with the trail stopped with the puppy on strong winds and very frigid temperaMay 9. tures. When the mercury dips down to This Miniature Australian Shepherd -40 F, it is not a trip for the faint of has already become part of the family. heart. My granddaughters have been taking As the guide dog, Balto was responhim on walks as well as training him sible for leading the way. In its beginnot to chase birds. ning years, the Iditarod honored the dogs and men who made this mercy He has been proving his guard dog trip in 1925. This story of Balto has instincts. When it gets towards dusk, he gets a little growly at people walk- been preserved in film, documentaries and books. In fact, it was my granding around outside. daughter who introduced me to Balto. On June 12, a storm moved through One of the first books she read out just after dark. I would call it a torna- loud to me was called Balto. do, but can’t say that with all certainDoc Neumann was born a year after ty; because when the National this famous trip. He and I wrote of Weather Service came out to my son’s some more challenging experiences farm, they themselves couldn’t decide with dogs in the book, “Get Up, Get whether it was a tornado or just very Going” which records some of his expestrong winds. riences as a veterinarian. He also has Nevertheless, the dog was in his some interesting stories of notable house. The dog house flipped over on dogs that remain fresh in this 96-yearits side landing with the door side to old gentleman’s mind. the ground. When my son checked on Doc grew up on a farm just on the him, the dog was content in the shed, outskirts of Preston, Iowa. He started probably thinking it was nighttime. school when four years old. On his There he stayed until morning as daily walk to school he had to walk by more storms moved throughout the several homes that had dogs. They night. weren’t vicious dogs at all, but they But, when morning came it was a still frightened him. different story. The dog was in an agiWhen his parents noticed this fear, tated state until he saw the girls safe they decided something had to be and sound. He was happy as a lark. done. They felt that the best way to He is also displaying his watch dog conquer this fear was to get him a dog. instincts at dusk. He growls at everyone who comes near the house. His father studied the advertisements in the newspaper. There he Oh yes, this dog has a name: Duke. read about some Great Dane puppies The name garnered the most votes for sale in Danbury, a town in western from family members. Iowa. He contacted them and a pup I was surprised it wasn’t Balto. was soon purchased. Balto, is the Siberian husky who The Neumann farm was clear across became a hero when he was the guide the state on Iowa’s protruding bump dog on the dog sled mission trip to near the Mississippi River. A bit far bring the Dipththeria vaccine to for a road trip in those days for most Nome. The dreadful disease people. Thankfully, the trusty rail serDiphtheria — which is often fatal, vice would provide the transportation. especially to young children — was ravaging families. Finally, the day came when the
New puppy Duke is one loyal pup.
team. She seemed to know when they were ready to go to the timber. She would chase a squirrel up a tree, go to the other side, then one of the boys would get the prey — one at a time — for their supper meal. Arlo’s mother always insisted that Doodles sleep outside or in the barn. That is until one cold, winter night. Mrs. Neumann had gotten up to warm up milk on the cook stove for the newest baby in the Neumann family when she heard a loud racket outdoors. It startled her. She made sure all the doors were locked. The next morning, the family saw footprints in the snow. Someone had been peering into the kitchen window. Doodles possibly prevented trouble when she chased the person away. After that, Mrs. Neumann relented, the dog could spend the night in the kitchen near the woodpile on the really cold nights. Iowa also gets cold in the winter. Well, maybe not quite as bad as Alaska. Doodles lived with the Neumanns until her death during Arlo’s senior year. This Great Dane had his own look, as her ears were never cropped or the tail docked. This next story was told to Doc Neumann by a friend who had a relative who fed cattle near Sioux Center. Cattle need to be fed daily. There are always gates to be opened and closed which takes time. But rounding up loose cattle is even a bigger headache. This man solved his problem with a good dog. The farmer would take his team
Neumann family received a telephone call from the Preston Depot. There was some freight that needed to be picked up. The family walked to the depot to find a recently weaned black and white puppy in an egg crate. Some water and food had been provided for the puppy during his journey across the state in a freight train car. They named her Doodles. This dog became a constant companion for Arlo and his brother Darryl whether they were just doodling around or working. They trained the dog to pull a sled. This was especially handy when snowy winters and Preston’s hills provided the perfect combination for sledding. Doodles would not only pull the Neumann sled up the hill, but other children’s sleds were joined together to form a train for the return trip. Then the merriment started all over again. When the boys went out to hunt See FARMHOUSE, pg. 8 squirrels, Doodles was part of their
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