Coteau Valley Farm has the quintessential farming dog, what is it you wonder? She is a little dog called Compass. I’ll give you a bit of a hint, Compass, did not just blow in from a Kansas tornado and fall into the Coteau. Any guesses? Back in the WWI and WWII eras, she was the most popular dog in America. Tenacious, brave, solid-tough, these are a few words to describe the hearty little dog with long, wiry hair and a dense undercoat. Sadly, the popularity of the dog is long gone, but the dog’s personality and traits are still going strong.
Compass looks like a rodent and even kind of walks like one. However, there are times she can take a stunning picture and she can even be a pleasure to the eyes. Unthought of anymore in America, for the most part, Compass is the farm dog of choice in Scottland, and there is a reason for it. Full of grit and extremely prey driven these twenty-pound mutts are a forgotten gem. From the inside of your home to the out they are guard dog extraordinaire. With a dog like Compass in your home, there will be no unknown or unwanted visitors or rodents. She will perk up if someone is close, even up to ¼ a mile away and Compass will erupt in a rambunctious roar of bark. You know you can trust her because they are that keen and sharp. If you venture outside with Compass she is ready to literally destroy rodents, foxes, rabbits, and the like. She is a shepherding dog, a pet, and an exterminator. The other day at Coteua Valley Farm, the cats, who are basically the gangsters of the animal world were camped out in the shop drifting in and out of sleep, torturing a large ground squirrel. They had drug the squirrel into the shop. I don’t think they knew just how to finish the job they set out to do when they met the squirrel. Even so, the cats were still enjoying watching the squirrel struggle and scream in fear. They listlessly watched it as they were pacing back and forth in the shop wagging their tails like annoyed cats often do. Meanwhile, I was growing very concerned that a large and aggressive squirrel was angry and afraid in the shop. I knew that cats would not be doing much to help as they had dragged other squirrels into the shop in the past and forgotten about them, a live gift for me to enjoy. In this case, I either had to move the squirrel or do the waiting game of letting it try and escape from the shop. Then someone offered Compass to take care of the situation. Although I was intrigued by the idea, I was not really on board, as I thought she might get bitten or bring some nasty disease into the house. Once that passed, I liked the idea. Compass was immediately brought to the shop and the leash was removed. Without hesitation, fear, or any thought and within two seconds the squirrel was gone. Compass simply dropped the squirrel from her mouth, thoughtfully examined it, and left it alone on the shop floor, her work was finished. It was literally amazing how fast she worked, and how well. I was so impressed with her mad hunting skills. Honestly, I'd never seen an animal work so methodically and quickly. I still cannot believe how fast and furious she was and how when she was through, she simply walked away, like a Wyatt Earp gunfight, it didn't take long. Yea, Compass moved up the ranks in respect with me, way up, high. I wonder why more farmers do not have a slew of these dogs. I am utterly impressed with Compass and feel like she can do a job that not many can accomplish without leaving any poison or traps. Oh yea, what is Compass? She's a Cairn Terrier and this isn't Kansas!
Coteau des Prairies
South Dakota Hobby Farm
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