A Farm Dogs Purpose?

For anyone who has been to Butternut Farm to enjoy some of the pick your own fruit that it offers you may remember seeing this guy. His name is Mr Spot. His place of residence is Butternut Farm and he has just completed his first year of being a farm dog. Mr Spot was rescued from the kill shelters in Tennessee. Last spring we found him on Pet Finders.com and decided on adopting him. The picture on the left is of he and Gala, the old lady of the farm whom sadly passed away shortly after Mr Spot arrived. It is now up to him to "Carry the Torch" all on his own! He is about one and a half years old and becoming a great dog.

As you can see in his picture he is showing off a trophy. Yes it is a dead mouse which he caught when we were up trimming the upper apple orchard just last week. A job well done if you ask me, and for any of you whom have seen what orchard mice or voles can do to an apple orchard during the winter you will surely agree. I just wish he had a pile of 5 of them at the end of the day.

Now I was saying to Mr Spot the other day that being a "farm dog" is not an easy task. The job description is very vague! And for a dog who is looking for a lot of direction like he is it can be confusing at times. Except when the farm is actually open for the pick your own fruit season! Then he falls right into that "scratch my belly" and "Hey do you have any treats in your car for me" roles. That part of the "Pick your own Farm Dog" job description is not vague at all. For the rest of the year though it can get fairly boring for a dog around Butternut Farm. The sheep are gone and the cars full of people looking to give him attention aren't driving up the driveway any more. To boot the farmer is usually very busy growing the crops for the upcoming season so he has little time to give Mr Spot attention. This is where the life of a farm dog can get a bit confusing. There is no clear purpose to everyday life.

Finding a purpose in the life of a farm dog is not easy, however Mr Spot is navigating the terrain fairly well. He has already demonstrated his ability to catch mice. A worthy purpose to fill his spare time. Also the squirrels behind the farmstand have shown to give him hrs of companionship and fun getting chased around the rock walls, always just out of his reach.