A Dog and Her Man

A Dog and Her Man

Hey dog lovers gather round
Have yourselves a sit
I wanna tell you 'bout Shadow
The Australian Shepherd with no quit

Shadow was the workinest dog
Any good cowhand ever chose
She's the boss o' that big herd
As every cow and calf therein knows

But Shadow knew how to rest as well
Come quitin' time she'd lie silly upside down
On the floor in her bed next to Sonny's
The boys called her, "Bunkhouse Clown"

Sonny found Shadow his friend
Up around the town of Choteau
They work the cow-calf operation
Some miles south on the Broken O

Their friendship can't easily be described
Reckon it's the classic centuries old glue
That develops between man and dog
After their time of workin' things through

We've, all heard that old saw,
"You can tell a lot about a man
By the way he treats his dog"
And with Sonny, well folks you really can

Some days if they've ground to cover
Before startin' in to work
Shadow jumps up to ride behind the saddle
And it ain't the run she's tryin’ to shirk

No, they just like bein' close
So it's how they stay when they can
With any cowhand other'n Sonny
Shadow would'a rather have ran

Well paradise and a perfect life
Won't always be every single day
One day Shadow had gimped up a leg
So Sonny had to tell her to stay

As Sonny was about to head out on his roan
In one stirrup there were three feet
One of course was Sonny's
The other two were Shadow's, beggin' sweet

She seemed to reason with Sonny,
"I've ridden that mare's rump before
Let me do it again today
My legs not really that sore"

Sonny didn't want his friend
To hurt or lame up worse
But then, oops, he looked in her eyes
Shrugging, he relented with a silent curse

Shadow settled down on that roan's rump
And when they'd move out beyond a trot
She'd bite onto the saddle skirt
And that's how she held on taut

They weren't doin' any ropin' that day
Just driftin' stock to fresh grazin'
Pushin' that herd west a bit
Undertakin' nuthin' wild or hair-raisin'

When the job was all done
The gate was closed and secured
Shadow couldn't see Sonny smilin'
At what all day she had endured

Just two hands, two horses and a dog
Doin' centuries-old cattlemen’s work
It was only another routine cowboy day
But for the dog a'horseback bein' a quirk

Shadow seemed all healed the next morning
She was jumpin' and prancin' about
"Let's get to work now Sonny
There's a cow needs bit on the snout"

Oh a dog and her man
What a friendship to be described
It fills a need deep in both hearts
The best medicine ever prescribed

by Rik Goodell

© 2021. All rights reserved