Great Grandpa's Farm Collie

Good Old Happy

We went to my in-laws for Thanksgiving today. I really wanted to find the picture of Happy, the old farm collie. My husband's grandparents farmed in North Dakota. Happy was their dog, helping out with the cows, chickens, and children. Dogs being the way they are, my husband's dad was sure Happy was his dog. Our Border Collie reminded my father-in-law a lot of Happy, but, of course, Happy wasn't a Border Collie. He was "just a farm dog." I'm very grateful that a few insightful people saw the value in the common farm collie and decided to make an effort to preserve them when they saw their numbers starting to dwindle. These dogs are truly a living heritage.