Its Mic, The Hangin Tree Stockdog

That’s my boy Mic! So what’s a Hangin Tree Stockdog?  They were developed by the Hangin Tree Ranch to work cattle and other livestock. They have a registry for them now. Mic is not registered but is of the breeding. They are registered based on ability to work stock. Mic is not very good at working stock, more on his ability later. The breed is a mixture of Border Collie, Catahoula Leopard, and Australian Kelpie and they all trace back to a male Australian Sheppard. Enough technical stuff.

So who is Mic and how did I come by him?

Two years ago I discovered the Effus Ranch in Wickenburg Az. It’s the self proclaimed cowboy capital of the world!  Rosie Lloyd owns the ranch and raised Mic. He is now 3 years old. He was born December 12 of 2012 so his birthday is 12/12/12  Seriously it is!  Mic had a bad start in life. His mother was owned by Jim Palen of the Clem Ranch. It’s in Aquila Az. He is Rosie’s ex.  Yall all know Jim Palen, he was the stunt rider and stuntman in Clark Gables last movie  The Misfits. He said that black stallion scene beat him near to death, they had to keep having the stallion rear up and it would come down and stomp him everytime.

That’s Jim with Rosie the owner of the Effus. Jim works about 130 sections of ranch on BLM leased land. He has about 800 head of Brangus cattle. He is 80 something years old. He is getting ready to move about 80 head of cattle to new grazing. He only hires help for branding etc. Anyway his horse threw him on the way back that nite and he walked several miles to get home. He is a tough ole cowboy!

Back to Mic. Jim owned his mother and father. His father is named Pard and was one heck of a great stock dog. His mother was a utter failure in life. It happens. Jim kept her but really wanted her to go live somewhere else. So when she accidently got bred by Pard Jim was going to do away with the pregnancy but Rosie stopped him and took the dog to the Effus to live and raise her pups. Great begginings for Mic….so far he is a unwanted accidental happening.

That’s Rosie throwing a ball for Mic in the headquarters yard of the Effus. Those are some of the ranch Border Collies. All the dogs chase the ball but Mic is the one that fetches it every single time!

To continue the story it’s winter and cold at the Effus and Rosie goes to town. It’s dark and cold when she gets home and goes to check on the dogs and feed them. There is Mic and two of his siblings laying outside the dog box freezing…. His mother whelped while Rosie was in town, what a surprise!  His mother has 4 pups all cuddled up inside but pushed 3 outside to die for some reason. So Rosie takes them inside and warms them up and drips some milk in their mouth. She gets them active and takes them back to momma and gets them to nurse. Then she leaves them and when she checks later there they are, the proverbaly, The Misfits, outside in the cold again!!!  So long story short Rosie keeps the three rejects in the house and takes them out to visit the milk spigot frequently!  So far Mic just ain’t getting her done you know. He grows up and Rosie finds him a adoptive home. Ultimately the fellow that adopted Mic has to move and needs to get rid of him…. Do yall see a pattern developing???  Hard luck Mic!

Enter the one legged cowboy and his mobile bunkhouse arriving at the Effus. By then Mic has been readopted by Rosie. He is a failure at working cattle. Ahhh….  But he has a home so all is sorta good. His previous owner has taught him very good manners and…. taught him to play fetch.  Might not be as good a game as you think. Mic is infatuated with fetching!!!   When the other dogs run into a huge patch of brush to get the cows out Mic runs in and brings a stick out!!!!  He then bounces around with the stick wanting to play and disrupts the whole scene!

So I stay at the Effus and he has toys everyehere snd he aggravates everyone rubbing muddy slobbered up toys against them wanting to play fetch!  I play with him a lot. One day Rosie is putting him in a pen so they can go work cattle without his creating havic!  She looks at me and says I should take Mic with me. Well I tell her Sadie and I have a lot of traveling to do in the west on the way home and it is going to be fast and furious. It wouldn’t be fair to Mic. But…. if I can come back in the fall to get him I would love him and take him. So she says come on back and they will keep him for me….So there you go that’s how I got Mic the killer retrieving Hangin Tree Stockdog!!!

And that folks is why Mic is here in North Carolina with Sadie and I this morning quietly asking me to go play stick while I try to enjoy my morning coffee. He worships me, every step I take he is there beside or usually out of sight behind me. When I mow the grass he walks behind the riding mower for every foot I go! His breed out west follows the cowboys for 20 plus miles a day and drive the cattle or dive into those giant mesquite thickets and bring the cows out! Mic follows me and dutifully has a stick or toy ready!  I love him and that’s a good enough reason for this Hangin Tree Stockdog to share my life, travels, and of course PLAYTIME!!!