Trained Dog Lends a Helping Paw for Cattle Producer

Becky Mills
Contributing Editor

Five years ago, Donald Adams' life changed forever. As he stood by the bale wagon, knife at ready to cut the net wrap, his son, Clayton Powell Adams, speared the last of five round bales. As the tractor lifted the bale into the wagon, it slipped off the hayforks and bounced, hitting Donald in the back of the neck.

"I knew it was bad," Adams recalls. The bale broke his neck at C5 and C6, paralyzing him from the neck down.

Surgery and difficult physical therapy loomed, with the outcome of walking again uncertain. A cattleman's thoughts are never far from his herd, but how would Adams ever care for his cattle again? He didn't know it at the time, but a four-legged stranger would provide the answer.

LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY

Following the accident, Adams underwent surgery and spent a month in the intensive care unit at Doctors Hospital, in Augusta, Georgia. All he could manage was an occasional toe wiggle and weak arm wave.

His wife, Laura, says the neurosurgeon moved heaven and earth to get him a spot at the filled-to-capacity Shepherd Center, in Atlanta. After three grueling months of physical therapy, the now-70-year-old could feed himself and get around in an electric wheelchair.

Adams was scheduled to go to Shepherd's outpatient program when COVID hit. "We found out two days ahead of time he was being sent home," Laura says. "When we got there, he didn't even want to go in the house. All he wanted to do was go see his cows."

Using a sideboard to slide into the seat of the Ranger utility vehicle, Adams set eyes on his 150-cow Angus and Sim-Angus herd for the first time since the accident. "As long as I got a breath in me, I'm going to take care of the cows and the farm," he emphasizes.

Once the worst of COVID had passed, Adams went through two outpatient programs at Shepherd. He graduated from a wheelchair to a walker. But, as Laura says, "That's still not good for a cattle farmer."

Enter Kyle Haney, a field services coordinator for the Georgia AgrAbility program. The organization helps disabled farmers farm again. He began working with the couple to modify and/or acquire equipment to get Adams back in the pasture.

Haney's biggest accomplishment was telling the couple about PHARM Dog USA. "They supply dogs to disabled farmers to keep them going. Thank God they do," Adams says.

Skippy, a border collie/Catahoula hound/Australian shepherd cross, came into the PHARM Dog program when she was donated by a neighbor of trainer Don McKay. The trainer told PHARM Dog founder Jackie Allenbrand that the little female had something special, and he continued to work with her on cattle-herding commands.

Allenbrand interviewed Laura to find out if she and her husband were suitable recipients of the then 2-year-old dog. "It was like adopting a child," Laura says of the process.

In October 2022, McKay brought Skippy to the couple's Dearing, Georgia, farm. The trainer stayed for three days to teach them the same herding commands Skippy already knew. Laura created a document with the commands and diagrams.

"A little later, we ran into a few problems and called Don. It turns out, we were micromanaging her," Laura says with a laugh.

There's little doubt Skippy knows her job. Moving cattle is just the start. One task is watching the open gate while Donald or Laura goes in a pasture to feed the cattle. Although Donald can get in and out of the Ranger to open a gate, it takes an effort most people can't imagine. Skippy keeps the cows from escaping, meaning Donald only has to get out twice, one time each to open and close the gate.

One of Skippy's most important jobs, however, is keeping the cows from crowding the couple. Laura recalls a day when Skippy and Donald were turning the cows out on winter grazing, and 40 cows and their babies got to pushing on the gate. They were about to knock him over, likely causing a serious injury. Skippy, without command, ran around and pushed the cows back.

"Now, the rule is when you pull up to the gate, Skippy gets out first, and the cows back up two steps," Laura says. "Every time I get out of the Ranger to feed, she protects me, too."

Thanks to assistance from the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, Adams was able to get a hydraulic working chute and automated sweep tub. With Skippy to push the cattle into the chute and Adams sitting in one spot working the controls, the couple can process 20 to 30 animals by themselves. Laura says, "This was a game changer. We were paying people $750 a trip to come to the farm and work our cows."

Adams relies on Skippy's keen eyes when he's checking cows. "Several times, I've missed a cow. She'll be in the shadows, and Skippy will find her," he says.

Skippy's efforts and the Adams' appreciation for her earned the cattle dog the title of the 2024 American Farm Bureau Federation Farm Dog of the Year.

Her most important accolade, however, comes from her normally stoic owner/partner. "I can't say what she means to me," Adams says. "I get emotional. We got back because we had Skippy to help us every day. She's a special little dog. I've had dogs all my life. Dalmatians. Weimaraners. They've all been great dogs. She's the queen."

PHARM DOG BRINGS INDEPENDENCE

In 2005, while at a farm show, Jackie Allenbrand visited with a cattleman who had a partially amputated leg. Fortunately, he also had a border collie named Weasel who did a lot of the penning and sorting for him. "It inspired me," says the northwest Missouri farmer. As a result, Allenbrand formed PHARM Dog USA.

Whether it is a herding dog to help on a livestock operation or a Labrador or Lab mix with service skills like opening gates or picking up tools, PHARM Dog places trained dogs with farmers who need them.

Most of the dogs are strays from rescues and shelters, although they do take donated dogs. "You're giving a dog a purpose and a farmer a reason to keep going," Allenbrand explains.

"We're a small organization made up of farmers ourselves," she continues. "Our goal is to have a training center so we can house more dogs." She also hopes to acquire more sponsors for dog food and vet med supplies. "That means we can help more farmers."

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For More Information:

-- AgrAbility: http://www.agrability.org/…

-- Coastal Acres Farm: https://www.coastalacresllc.com/…

-- PHARM Dog USA: https://www.pharmdog.org/…

-- Shepherd Center: https://www.shepherd.org/…

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