Farm Dogs and Cats: 52 Ancestors 2023 Prompt “Pets”

My Memories of Our Farm Pets

1960s and 1970s on Juhl Peterson Farm

 

When I look at my pampered indoor cat, I sometimes reflect on the far-less-pampered pets my family had when I was a child in rural Minnesota. They were outdoor animals, relegated to the barn and not the house. They were our pets and we loved them, but they had a sort of job or function as well. The dogs were guard dogs of a sort—they would bark whenever anyone drove or walked into the yard, and they would scare off stray dogs or wildlife that might threaten the livestock. The cats were mousers, expected to keep the rodent population in the barn under control.

Their outdoor life left them at higher risk. Our dogs often amused themselves by chasing cars, skulking in the ditch by the house until a vehicle passed, and then they would shoot out, barking and racing alongside until the car had passed. They also liked to dart across the road to ramble in Uncle Oscar or Cousin Sidney’s fields. Eventually, they would make an error in timing that led to their getting struck by a car. They rarely lived longer than a couple years, sadly.

And the cats tended to be sickly. Feline distemper was rampant among all the farm cats in the area. Since no one, including my parents, had the money to spay and neuter, there were always litters of kittens. And since vaccinations also cost money, most of these kittens would die before they reached adulthood. As a result, my brother and I were a little jaded when it came to pets—we didn’t let ourselves get too attached, because our pets had short lifespans.

Here are some of the pets from my childhood. I loved to take photos, so had a couple of cheap cameras over the years that took appallingly bad photos. Despite their blurriness, they bring back memories from the late 1960s to early 1970s, when I was about 10-13 years old and my brother about 7-10 years old.

Bitsy on the front step, waiting for her dinner. She was outdoors even in winter, sleeping in the barn

My dad had a rat terrier named Trixie when I was very small. Trixie hated me and would snap, so I didn’t get close to her and saw her as my dad’s pet. As a result, my first “doggie” was little Bitsy, a black and white terrier mix. She was very sweet and loved attention and pets from sweaty little hands. We had her for several years until she had an unfortunate run-in with the Minneapolis Tribune newspaper truck.

My brother Kent with Bitsy, with our barn in the background. Bitsy slept in the barn at night. Photo probably 1968-69. 

After Bitsy, we got Goldie, who was a golden retriever mix. She was super sweet, clumsy and goofy. She was always up for a ramble with my brother and me on long summer days. Sadly, she ran under the wheels of the truck carrying the Hanska ice rink to town.

Goldie as a puppy with my brother. About 1970. 

After Goldie, we acquired our first pure-bred since Trixie, a black, tan and white collie we named Lady. She was far more regal than goofy Goldie. She was also more a one-man dog—she adored my dad and followed him wherever he went. 

Lady with Kent about 1971

We vied for Lady’s attention. She was super sweet, and actually enjoyed eating windfall apples!

Lady laying in the ditch, waiting for a car to chase. 

I also have a photo of three kittens I had doted on one summer. I always came up with names for all the kittens, and this trio got tagged with the monikers Sweetie, Tiger and Columbus. Columbus got his name because he was the most adventurous, falling out of the barn hayloft where they were born when he was very young. We found him toddling around the farmyard, exploring his own New World like Christopher Columbus. Sadly, his adventurous nature didn’t help him survive distemper. I don’t believe any of the three lived longer than a year.

Columbus, Sweetie and Tiger, drowsing in the door to the barn loft. They used the ladder (wood beam at left)  to get up and down, as did we. 

Perhaps the short lives of my childhood pets led me to overcompensate with our children’s pets, all of who have lived long and pampered lives.