The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

THE UNDERSTANDING CANINE

MY GRANDFATHER BOUGHT A BEAUTIFUL HUNTING DOG FROM A GUY WHO GOT
RID OF HIM BECAUSE HE COULDN'T HANDLE HIM ANY MORE. MY GRAND-
FATHER COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE DOG COULDN'T BE HANDLED, SO HE
TOOK HIM OUT TO TEST HIM. THE DOG RAN AHEAD OF US AND IN A MINUTE
SCARED UP A QUAIL. POW! MY GRANDFATHER SHOT HIM. THEN THE DOG
SCARED UP ANOTHER ONE, BUT THIS ONE MY GRANDFATHER MISSED. THE
DOG TURNED AND GROWLED AT HIM. THE WHOLE THING TOOK PLACE AGAIN,
AND AGAIN THE DOG TURNED AND GROWLED. THEN WE FIGURED THAT THE
DOG WAS USED TO GOOD HUNTERS AND IT DIDN'T WANT TO DO ALL THAT
WORK FOR NOTHING. WE WERE GOING TO GO HOME, BUT WHEN MY GRAND-
FATHER WENT TO GET THE DOG, HE GROWLED AND THEN STARTED TO RUN
IN A WIDE CIRCLE IN THE FIELD. EVERY TIME MY GRANDFATHER MOVED,
THE DOG GROWLED SOME MORE.
THEN, A QUAIL FLEW UP FROM THE FIELD AND MY GRANDFATHER KILLED IT.
ANOTHER ONE FOLLOWED FROM THE SAME SPOT AND MY GRANDFATHER KILLED
IT. THIS WENT ON FOR AN HOUR. QUAIL AFTER QUAIL FLEW UP FROM THE
SAME SPOT AND WAS SHOT. I WENT OVER TO THE SPOT THEY WERE COMING
FROM, AND THERE WAS THE DOG WITH HIS PAW OVER THE OPEN END OF A
HOLLOW LOG. HE WAS LETTING THE QUAIL OUT ONE BY ONE THAT HE HAD
ROUNDED UP INTO THE LOG. HE GOT SO MAD AT MY GRANDFATHER MISSING
THE BIRDS THAT HE FIGURED OUT A SOLUTION TO KEEP ALL HIS WORK FROM
BEING WASTED.

Where learned: NORTHERN MICHIGAN

Date learned: 08-15-1969