Joe Atkinson of Roundout Vicinity Has Frightful Experience With Animal Which Previously Had Always Been Gentle-Two Farm Hands Rush To Aid Of Employer But The Bull Keeps On Goring And Pawing Him About The Yard-Collie Rushes To Rescue, And, With Bites And Barks, Detracts Bull’s Attention While Workmen Rescue Him.
    With two hired men trying to beat off an enraged bull which attacked him and was pawing and butting him about the yard, Joe Atkinson, who lives with his mother a mile and a half northeast of Roundout had his life saved when a faithful collie dog, responding to the shouts of the men and the victim, rushed at the bull, bit his legs and nose and finally distracted the animal’s attention sufficiently to enable the workmen to hustle Atkinson to safety.
    The incident occured Wednesday. The bull, always king and gentle, was let into the yard where the watering trough is, and, each night he would walk in, take his drink and walk quietly back to his quarters. But, on Wednesday, as Atkinson stood waiting for the animal to proceed back to his pen, the animal suddenly turned on him.
    He tossed the young farmer into the air but Atkinson fortunately landed on his knees when he hit the ground; the bull tossed himagain. This time the victim landed on his back and the bull came after him, pawing and butting him as he lay prostrate on the ground.
    The victim shouted all this time for help and the two farm hands rushed to his aid. They endeavored to beat the enraged bull off, seeing their master under his feet which he was using to advantage in pawing, pulling and poking Atkinson about the yard. For a hundred feet he had dragged, pushed and butted the victim.
    The efforts of the hired men were unavailing for the bull just kept on with his sport. All the time the men were shouting to a collie dog which was about the place and finally, just as the situation was becoming so dangerous that they felt their master’s life was likely to be sacrificed to their inability to get the animal’s attention detracted, the dog came bouncing to the scene. He saw what the trouble was at a glance and started after the bull. He bit his nose as the animal was bending his head over the dog’s master, then he bit his legs. The maddened bull naturally would turn his attention to the dog soon, mused the workmen as they kept on trying to detract the animal’s attention. Sure enough, that’s what happened.
    The bull, enraged by the appearence of the dog and its interference with what he was doing, turned on the big collie and started after him. The collie, undauted and seeming to realize that he was playing the most important part in the near-tragedy, would nip the beast and then jump away, all the time being able to avoid the butts of the bull as he dashed at him.
    And, the hired men, the minute the bull’s attention was centered on the dog, made a rush for Atkinson, who, unable to aid himself, lay prone on the ground. They quickly carried him to the fence, lifted him over and then jumped for safety themselves. The dog all the time was having the time of his life dodging the enraged bull’s rushes and, after he saw his master safety outside the fence, Mr. Collie, as if to say goodbye to the bull, gave a loud yelp and leaped over the fence at a bound, seemingly satisfied with his afternoon’s work.
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