Pull up to any farm and often you are greeted by the watcher of the farmstead—the farm dog. Heck, we even have a day dedicated to our beloved four-legged friends: National Dog Day. While I didn’t make a post, I smiled thinking of our farm dog, Jordy.
Named after #87 of the Green Bay Packers, Jordy Nelson, our farm dog recently turned 8 years old. My youngest son, Jacob, reminds me, “He is just a bit older than you in dog years, mom.” Obviously, Jacob is in favor of rounding.
A Special Bond
Jordy rarely has a bad day. When he was a pup, he started his day with my husband and truthfully, rarely left his side. The master of the farm. But Jordy has caught on to the true team we have built here – and he wanders from one employee to the next. He loves all the attention, but, by far, his favorite employee is our calf feeder, Ingrid.
Perhaps that is because we have witnessed Ingrid carrying Jordy, who weighs 50-plus pounds, because there was snow and ice on the ground. She said, “It’s too cold for his paws.” Then the next morning, she wrapped him up with one of her old sweatshirts to keep him warm. Ingrid always has treats for Jordy and gives him endless scratches. He adores her.
Fearful Encounters
But there are a couple of things in life Jordy does not like: the UPS driver—who has learned to carry treats in his truck—and our veterinarian, Dr. Ryan. You see, Jordy’s booster shots coincide with herd health day. Jordy gets one to two shots a year, but herd health day is every other Monday on our farm. And, every other Monday, Jordy spots Dr. Ryan’s truck and makes his way into our garage—scared that more shots are in the forecast.
One day, after he got his shots, which required three grown men to hold him down, my husband figured it was a good day for Jordy to also get a bath. For Jordy, that was the worst day of his life. He hid in our garage for two entire days afterwards.
Midnight Patrol
Jordy is good at catching mice and moles and keeping the raccoons away at night. Earlier this summer, my husband told Jordy what a good boy he was, as our sweet corn patch didn’t appear to be interrupted by feisty raccoons snacking in the night. Jordy has the roam of the farm, and he certainly clocks a lot of steps each and every day.
Although, one place you’ll never see Jordy is next to our old mama Siamese cat. The other day, he tried coming into the shop, but she firmly scooted his tail end out of there. He does love making his rounds throughout the barns and absolutely loves loading cattle on and off the trailers.
Dogs are the best listeners. When we had our fire back in 2019, he sat with me, with his head in my lap, providing comfort. Not that long ago, I told him that our daughter was coming home for the weekend, and he jumped into my lap because he was so excited.
I promised my kids that once we built a house on the farm, we would get a dog, and this is one thing I don’t regret doing. Jordy represents the heart and soul of our farm, embodying the loyalty and dedication that underpin the everyday hustle and bustle of farm life. He’s more than just a dog; he’s family.
Your Next Read:
The Ultimate Gift: Dairy Farmer Becomes Lifesaving Hero by Donating Both His Liver and Kidney
