OUTDOOR WORK FOR WOMEN

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3718, 9 November 1926, Page 7

OUTDOOR WORK FOR WOMEN

BGG-LOVER'S ADVICE Mrs Roland M. Raker, wife of the postmaster of Boston (U.S.A.), and a woman prominent in social and civic affairs in the East, has, since 11909, carried on the well-paying business ol raising dogs. She is a staunch advocate of out-of-door jobs for women in preference to shop and office work. “ For a dog-lover, such as I am.” Mrs Baker said in her attractive home on historic Chestnut street. Boston, “ and for anyone who wants to spend as much time out of doors and out of the city as possible, raising some sort of animal is the most satisfying work mentally and physically, as well as lucratively. “ Certainly, in my mind, it is a great deal better than work in shops, which so many women are taking up. In every city to-day there are women with capital who are putting it into a city business. Now, raising animals needs capital, because they take a great deal of care, expensive care. But once one is on one’s feet then the returns that come in arc gratifying. QUALITIES OF ENGLISH SHEEP

DOGS. “ For various reasons I am .specialising in English sheep dogs. In the first place, J believe in specialisation, in becoming known for doing one thing well rather than scattering my energies over a number of things. “ I first started breeding these dogs just after it seemed that motor cars were here to stay. Up to that time I had raised a great many ponies on our farm in New Hampshire, but the cars were making the roads unsafe for them, besides cutting down the demand for horses of all sorts. “It was to England that I went to choose my dogs, not knowing at that time what breed I should make ray own. I made a tour of all the kennels, and one thing struck me everywhere. There were warnings posted over ail the runs and before all the enclosures saying. ‘Don’t touch the dogs!’—until 1 came to the sheep dogs’ enclosures, and there was never any sign there.

“A sheep dog, if developed, never harmed anybody unless one hurt tho thing he was guarding. That decided me in a flash. I was told at the same time that they were very fond of children, which is, after all. a prime requisite.

“ I hrougilt home some of the Brentwood Kemiol dogs in 1909, and took them to our place at North Hampton, N.H., Woodland Farm, and I’v never for a moment regretted my choice. In the first place, the dogs are not so common as to be a drug on the market in this country. And then the fact that they are ideal companions for children has been a great advantage, since any number of dog buyers have that very requirement uppermost in their minds. MUST BE FED REGULARLY.

“They arc a care to raise, of course, because of the constant attention they must have from experts. I spend a large part of the year at the farm looking after that work myself, and in winter I am in constant touch with my kennel men, besides making several trips to the country. “1 have been up at all hours of the night to look after them, and have given a good deal of the daytime to training them, for a well-trained dog is a joy. 1 remember once when one of the dogs 1 had sold had a litter of thirteen puppies and the owner sent me'five. I had to be up every morning at 2 o’clock to feed them goat’s milk from a bottle—and to got up every four hours after that to repeat it! “ That’s one side of the work, but dogs arc such fascinating things to handle that to care for them can scarcely be called irksome.

LOVE AND TRUST THK FAMILY. “ Sheep dogs, I find, make the best •sort of watch dogs, and they have a tremendous sense of responsibility. No stranger nor even a friend of the family can come into the grounds without having the dogs send forth a volley of warning barking from the kennels. But a member of the family, it unaeompanied by another person can come in at any hour and in any way without rousing the slightest alarm. However, if one of us has a friend with her, the barking is on quite as though we weren’t there.

“My own children and grandchildren are living proofs of the gentleness ol the dogs toward youngsters, the dogs allow the greatest liberties from the children without showing any animosity or impatience, i came into the room where my small grandson was energetically trying to poke out the eyes ol the sheep dog 1 had given him. file dog was sitting on the floor with a woebegone expression, and was making no more effort to thwart the boy s attempts than to close whichever eve he was poking. Few breeds of dogs would allow any such treatment from a child.

“ f consider, however. Hint my dogs have as much of a job as i have. That is to supply the funds for the various movements I am interested in. AH the money L make from the sales—outside of that amount which 1 must put back into the work of carrying on the kennels—goes into some civic, or State, or national activity. The fact that, I use the money in that way does not lessen in any measure my realisation that it is a commercial enterprise. i consider it quite as much a job as I might running a shop, hi tact, 1 keep a dog shop. “ And 1 am dealing with a highly intelligent product rather than something inanimate. 'Hie dogs are as keen and alert as human beings and once having learned a thing j{ doesn’t need repetition. Cherry, one oi the dogs I brought from England originally, was lonnd lapping up the cream m the dining room one'dav, and I scolded her mdignanllv. Nothing more was needed. Since that time she lias ret used steadfastly to be hired into that mom.

Aiiol Iht „ |he dogs. Sauev Floss is overwhe nmd with a maternal sense J( "'l'J'iiMhility and, having no .sheep j,; 1 ; 1 !, ' H ' '•'nehens. Kverv even''lit' ,om ‘ r,s up and sees that , :iil pm lip tor Ihe night. / } 1,1 s > ,s * ;,n< l will wircli lor lining ‘-luck that evades her. ■ ‘ lc ' v< ’ :u ' ( ' only some of the traits aat niake these animals so utterly 1,.', 1 • 1 (I u 1 | (i handle and rare for. ieie jsn f another job on earth for " 1 ( l exchange < log raising. Why moie girls and women wlio are looking ior some definite work to carry on through their lives, particularly I hose "omen who eni afford to finanen their I'" 1 "- not take it up i-, more liujjs I can understand.”