Category: Essay

            The Finer Points of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Gordon Barkwell

What is the ideal dog?  This is a question many potential dog owners will find themselves asking as they search for the perfect dog to bring into their lives.  Usually, the question gives rise to another – what characteristics do you want in a pet?  Differing lifestyles mean some types of dog behaviour are more desirable than others.  An elderly couple may consider a calm “laze about” dog ideal, while an active family may consider a high energy dog a perfect fit.  Certain things, however, are nearly always on the list; the dog needs to be friendly, intelligent, trainable, and obedient.  Does anybody want an antisocial, aggressive dog?  Having considered the question regarding what traits are desirable, another question will likely arise.  What breeds possess these characteristics?  To this question, my answer is that no dog possesses more desirable characteristics than the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, or the “Toller”.

The beautiful red and white Toller is one of three remaining truly Canadian dogs, the other two being the Newfoundland, and the Canadian Eskimo Dog.  The Toller is the smallest of the retrievers, and the provincial dog of Nova Scotia. As the name suggests, the dog originated in Nova Scotia where it was used for a form of duck hunting known as tolling, in which the dog lures in game, rather than seeking it out.  Foxes have historically used this technique for hunting, and the Toller was bred with a similar appearance to a fox, and to have an affinity for the kind of behaviour that causes the game to curiously come closer.

But what makes the Toller such a good pet, when it was originally bred for hunting?

Tollers are highly intelligent, patient and extremely obedient.  They need these characteristics to work successfully tolling and retrieving.  When tolling, the dog needs to be indifferent to the ducks which come closer and closer to it until cued by the hunter to retrieve the downed birds.  It is amazing to see this self-control in such a lively dog.  As a result of this capacity, a well-trained Toller is very patient.  This makes them an excellent fit in virtually any family, especially one with young children.

The Toller is also very affectionate and devoted to its family.  They love to be around people and are always very friendly, and have been known to be successful therapy dogs.  A Toller will also get along with other family pets.   The dog is gentle, playful, and high energy; a perfect match for a family with like-minded children!

The Toller needs a job to do, making them extremely trainable for nearly any activity or task.  They are fantastic jogging companions, will happily go on family walks, hikes, or camping trips, and absolutely love the water.  Although they are high energy and need exercise, the Toller is not hyperactive and will always gladly settle down with the family at the end of a busy day, turning into a contented couch potato.

The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is nothing short of a fantastic dog, and absolutely possesses nearly every trait new dog owners want.  This versatile, friendly, peppy dog would be the perfect companion for nearly any new owner, adding a lively new dimension to family life.

Showing dairy cows is a popular hobby among many farmers. These farmers spend their time and money showing these cows as well as selling and buying new cows. The World Dairy Expo is the world’s largest dairy show. It is a five day event that showcases the finest genetics, and the newest technologies available to the dairy farming world.

To the farmers in the cow industry, The World Dairy Expo is the biggest show of the year. It is the time when cows of all types, such as Holsteins, Jerseys, and Ayrshires all come together into one show and auction. It is the best of the best as far as farmers are concerned, and to place at this show is a great honor.

Getting ready for this show is probably the most difficult task for farmers. It requires choosing the right cows to take to the show, cosmetically enhancing them, and transporting them to Wisconsin for the show. The longest process is making them cosmetically appealing. To get them looking cosmetically appealing to the judges, they have to wash them, shave them, trim their hooves, stretch their bags, which all happens before departure to the show. While at the show, the cows need to be milked by hand everyday or the cows will be in a lot of pain, and will refuse to walk. They also have to put on minor finishing touches while at the show. These touches include up brushing the hair along their spine, and putting hairspray in it so that it stays. During this time, they also put a colour spray on them to make the cows look as if they have no flaws. Lastly, they give cows injections that are like temporary botox to make it seem like the cows have no imperfections from carrying calves. As you can tell, cow shows are taken extremely seriously, they are like beauty pageants for cows!

As for spectators, there are many scheduled events that they can participate in! Watching the show is just as exciting as being in it. The spectators can take part in watching the shows, the auction and educating seminars. The point of the show being open to spectators is to educate and inform people and encourage them to join the 4-H, cow showing group! By attending the seminars different milking options and how to optimize income when owning a dairy farm, people are more likely to think about operating a cow farm. The World Dairy Expo is the largest place for cow seminars to take place, as there is on average 2 or 3 seminars a day, all talking about how to optimize your dairy farm experience and how to start your own farm. Aside from the educational pros from dairy shows, spectators get to enjoy the cow show environment. Speaking as someone who has been to many shows, there is nowhere else where you can get the feeling that you get while at a show. Seeing as The World Dairy Expo is the world’s largest cow show, I am willing to bet it is an amazing time! The people that you meet while at shows are amazing, and it is an all around great experience.

As you have learned, The Dairy Expo is a great experience for both cow enthusiasts and those who just want to learn more about them! Between learning about what it is like to have a dairy farm, and experiencing the cow show life, everyone who goes to this huge, global cow show is going to come out being a cow enthusiast!