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Anyone that can hold his threat to stockdog trainersown is doing good, he everywhere. ^ ncontinues, as he prepares to release the Border Collie that's rapidly becoming aThe winding caliche covered road can be spotted leading; south off Highway 6 about two and one-half miles tyest of Carlton. As one follows it through the countryside where cattle can be jseen grazing peacefully or just lying in the road, die assurance of unsurpassed serenity is confirmed J In only a few minutes you arrive '• at the modest, well-kept ranch home of Henry D. and Fayrene Ku-bena Spurger, parents of Duane,; Bryan, Barbara,Lyle, Jo and Matthew.years of dairying, they decided to quit the dairy business, but says ‘‘dairying was good to us. ‘‘With dairying, hogs or chickens, you get paid for the management, says this man that has also had as many as 1000 head of hogs on feed at one time.‘‘Mr. Henry” has given much thought to almost everything that concerns him, and with just a bit of probing he’ll share his thoughts with you. ‘ ‘I never thought a man had to spend a life-time studying something in order to be profi-Henry Spurger is a man of several talents and much ability. Among his talents is one that many admire, but few have. And that talent is to train an animal to do the things that are within the animals’ realm of possibilities and at the same time cause the animal to exhibit a desire to perform for his master. It seems to come so easy to ‘‘Mr. Henry.” He has the uncanny ability to understand animals and predict how they are likely to act orreact under a given set of circumstances.he says. Mr. Henry has one of each and for the dog lovers he lends this advice. ‘‘If a man finds a dog that fits him he’d better hold on to him. He further advises, ‘‘The relationship between a dog and a man is probably the most important factor. A top-knotched dog has got to want to please you.While ‘‘Mr. Henry” has owned stockdogs for many, many years its just been within the past few years that he’s gotten interested in Border Collies and Sheepdog Trials. He has become quite a handler of dogs, relying extensively on his knowledge of horse training and lending an open ear to those in the sheepdog business whom he has come to respect. He has also studied the tactics of the winners very intensively. He points out that patience is most important in training an animal and admonishes the trainer to allow an animal to gain full confidence in him as his master before attempting to train him.A visit to his ranch is all that’s needed to get a good cup of coffee and learn what a sheepdog is supposed to do. If you’ll wait patiently for him to smoke a cigarette and enjoy a cup of coffee with you, he’ll invite you to his training pen and give you a fullfledged demonstration.On the way to the pens he may tell you what kind of dog is not a sheepdog. ‘‘A dog that will leave sheep to go to people is not a sheepdog. he says confidently. ‘‘A sheepdoglivestock registries for the purposes of personal financial gain he says, very adamantly, ‘ ‘ Misrepresentation of breeding lines is the worst thing you can do to a man.You can coax this live-stockman into talking about cattle if you try and he’ll explain the cattleman’s position in terms any city slicker can understand. The owner of more than 150 head of cattle, he states that he made more money on calves years ago when they were 14 and 15 cents a pound that he can make on them now. Today your monthly electric bill costs a calf. Your telephone bill costs a calf, a tire for thepickup costs a calf, says this rancher as he gazesacross the pasture at the mares with their newborn foals grazing on land where many cows have grazed before. Land is priced beyond use value. People that own land can hardly afford to stay on it. If you pay $500 an acre for land today the interest will cost you $40 per acre per year. If you can run one cow to ten acres you’ve got an interest cost of $400, not including the cost of the mother cow or your personal expenses. From this investment you get a $150 calf. I’ll tell you, owning land, anymore, is a luxury.These are hard times.imAll a man is entitled to is one good dog, otib good horse and one good woman. ”wmUlit•yyyyy.wmmsm^mWith the exception ofBryan, who is a Navy careerman, these children and their families (all are married except Lyle and Jo) can usually be found dropping by on the weekends. And Henry and Fayrene can be found there almost all the time enjoying a view of which they have never grown tired as they tend to the business at hand.Mr. Henry” (as this writer knows him) can u-sually be found training or feeding stock, and Mrs. Spurger will usually be found completing the chores of a housewife or at one of her sewing machines, manufacturing clothes for members of her femily or friends. She has, mads, at one time or a-iiother, anything that could be made on a sewing machine. Such items as a tuxedo made of faded blue denim jeans for a man in West Texas, western shirts, jeans that can’t be distinguished from those manufactured by Levi, Lee and-Wrangler (except that hersh would show better workmanship) sport coats, pant suits, cheerleader unifprms and bridal gowns have come from the mach-ftines. located in the converted milk room of the old dairy bam. If it can be made of cloth Fayrene Spurger can make it and the wearer can wear it to the plushest of the plush in New York, Los Angeles, or Miaini without fear ofsomeone detecting a flaw.cient at it. If he's interested in it he will spend the time to learn it. But for anyone to do well in anything, he must like what he’s doing. ’ ’ Today Mr. Henry practices what he preaches. He enjoys what he’s doing and he’s doing it well.‘Mr. Henry is a real down to earth country philosopher. A young man can receive quite an education from him if he’ll sit quietly and listen carefully, because Mr. Henry has had a load of experiences and has been able to profit by most of them. He has learned that there is far more in life that the making of a dollar. Above money-making he places ethics, morality and honesty. When a person buys an animal from H. D. Spurgerthey know they have gottenwhat they have been told they were getting and nothing less. Nothing has been misrepresented. A rarity today.Mr. Henry” has been in several phases of the livestock business since moving his family to this country from San Angelo in 1951. Arriving in Comanche County just in time for the drought and low cattle prices of the early J| fifties, he saw many §|| farmers and ranchers ‘ ‘pull !§! up their stakes” and leave 111 from around him due to |§| hard times. ‘‘Once there III were hou'ses on almost Iff every hill out here, ’ he f||| relates. Now only a couple 11! can be seen in the distance. Ill “Things were tough for us fff at times, but the thought of §§§ quitting never crossed my §igmind. m4 * «• * * “» »Some time after arriving ||g here from San Angelo the Iff Spurgers built a dairy bam. If§ Its total cost of construction was only $500. After 17Misrepresentation of breeding lines is the worst thing you can do to a man. ’ ’should leave anything else to work sheep. The chances are good that he ’11 walk directly to the kennel where his favorite Border Collie, 110 (meaning uncle” in Spanish) can be found anxiously waiting to herd the small flock of sheep to the :: place his master directs.‘‘Mr. Henry is a stickler ||for honesty and fairness to m his fellow man. With refer- 8 ence to persons filing er-p roneous information with IIHe won the West Central Texas Cutting Horse Association (non-professional) Reserve Championship last year with his horse, Reed Gay Bar. “I’d rather be a breeder of animals than a showman, ’ ’ says this ownerof more than a dozen horses. And I enjoy caringfor animals just as much asI do working them. ’ ’‘‘All a man is entitled to is one good horse, one good dog and one good woman, ’ ’'•‘■Xw.v.vsfitmpfi.Millmm’v/Xvyyyyy*llitflHillsyyyrt*Dog Trainer, Horseman, PhilosopherHeiiry SpurgerManSeveral Talents* *aDUBLJJV SHAMROCK NEWS-..PAGE 11 APRIL 24, 1977Story and photos by A1 Denard
Newspaper Details
Dublin Shamrock News
Dublin, Texas, US
Sun, Apr 24, 1977
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Linda S.
USA 31 May 2021
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