Walkabout's Roper :
| Sire: CJ's Spanky Doodle Dandy |
| Dam: CJ's It's a Cowgirl Thing |
In October of 1997, I decided that it was finally the right
time to find the
Australian Cattle Dog that I had been wanting for many years.
I was no
longer working outside the home so had the time to devote to
interacting
with and training a new puppy, especially a cattle dog puppy.
I saw my
first cattle dog (a.k.a. Queensland Heeler) in 1970 and it was
love at first
sight. We tried owning the breed prior to 1997, but we just did
not have
what it took to do right by the breed. So, finally in 1997 it
was time to
fulfill my long time dream.
I checked the local newspaper and saw an ad for AKC Australian
Cattle Dog
puppies, called, and went out to see if they had a puppy for
me. When I saw
the sire and dam of the puppies I was quite impressed with the
temperament
because both were very nice tempered, confident, calm, and not
confrontational. As it turns out both parents were bred by CJ
(Roper's
grandsire is Boomer) and I was not to discover who CJ was until
the year
2000. What I saw when I visited the little spread that belonged
to Roper's
breeder was a litter of adorable cattle dog puppies. As far as
I am
concerned cattle dog puppies are the most adorable of any breed.
I remember
spending a long time handling and checking each puppy for temperament.
Some
of the puppies just did not want to be handled and finally I
asked to see
the "pick" puppy that they had put in the house so
that I would not confuse
him with the rest of the litter. That puppy was called Roper
by the
children and he allowed me to handle him without screaming his
head off. He
exhibited enough independence and attitude that I knew he had
a spark, but
he also knew when to submit. So, I ended up paying for the "pick"
puppy.
Roper came home with me the same day and was such an adorable
little guy.
He was all personality and very smart. We were on our way to
being totally
in love with a very special dog. Roper matured out behaviorally
very young
as the result of our having to board him for a month while we
were moving.
When we picked him up and brought him to his new home he wanted
no part of
being in a crate so we did not force it. He never did damage
to the house
and we always thought this was quite the miracle for a 15 month
old dog, but
it also had to do with having someone watching his little highness.
We have
always kept a substantial number of doggie toys available all
over the house
and yard. He has Kongs, Nylabones, Booda bone knotted string
toys, and a
Pedigree Frameball to play with. He loves playing fetch. His
very favorite
play activity is herding the very hard plastic Boomer ball around
the yard.
Roper does not know the meaning of the word quit or rest when
he is playing.
Roper is an interesting mix of personality types. He is very
affectionate
and is often very calm and relaxed about life. Then, he has his
other side
that gets totally jazzed and wired. What a nut dog!! He will
go nuts if he
hears Steve pull the Velcro tabs on his shoes and will bark and
bark. He
will pester the daylights out of you when he thinks it is time
to eat OR if
he thinks you have forgotten his daily treat of jerky. He is
a love
sleeping on the bed during the day for a nap, but a monster at
night when he
really wants to sleep. He hates being bumped once he is ready
to go to
sleep. I am responsible for one of his idiosyncrasies and feel
badly about
it. When he was a baby I would tease and play with him by using
my feet to
tease a bit and get him running. To this day, he is not particularly
fond
of that type of play. He enjoys the games where I tap him and
get him
jazzed up and he will run and run, but I best not tap him with
my foot. He
won't bite, but he grumbles a lot. Taking Roper for a ride in
the extend
cab of the truck is quite a riot because he has to tell us about
everything
he sees and he gets to practice a LOT of "downs." He
thinks
motorcyclists, bicyclists, and people walking need to be dealt
with. Also,
taking him out for a walkabout in the neighborhood is great fun
until he
sees another dog and then he mouths off big time. Putting him
in a "down
and stay" works fine for keeping him under control, but
his big mouth keeps
on flapping. We think that he just wants to say hi to all the
dogs and
smell them as he is not dog aggressive. All in all, Roper has
created more
laughs for us in the time we have had him than any dog we have
ever owned.
He will nuzzle and bump you until you pay attention to what he
is wanting.
If we sleep in on a weekend, he will jump up on the bed and try
to kiss
Steve. Not me, because I don't mind wet kisses, so he goes for
the person
who does not like them.
Our special boy is also the enforcer with the other cattle
dogs and the
Dachshund. When it is dinner time or bed time he will herd one
or more to
their crates, barking the whole way and grabbing at back legs.
They just
love it!! Not. He is very compatible with the other dogs and
has never
initiated a fight, but he won't back down from aggression either.
Roper has
never had the opportunity to work livestock or even meet them.
I suspect he
would have a great deal of fun and would be a challenge for me
to keep up
with. He is responsive to my training, but I suspect his big
mouth would
interfere with his hearing me at times.
So, now you know more about the cute little puppy who is now
a beautiful
neutered male and shares our life as a most treasured member
of our home.
We can't imagine life without Roper in it. He has been a very
healthy dog
and a true joy to live with. We love the little bit of spice
that he brings
into our life.
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