Saturday, May 5, 2018

Old Tip's Memorial...!

Sometimes the loyalty shown by an animal is beyond comprehension by most of us. That is the case of Tip, the sheepdog.

Here is the story from the folks over at Atlas Obscura.

Memorial to Tip the Faithful Sheepdog
The heroic tale of a remarkable pup who refused to leave her master's side, no matter what.



The memorial alone can’t quite convey the whole story: “In commemoration of the devotion of Tip. The sheepdog which stayed by the body of her dead master Mr. Joseph Tagg on the Howden Moors for fifteen weeks from 12th December 1953 to 27th March 1954.”

The simple stone marker sits just north of the west tower of the historic Derwent Reservoir Dam, a testament to canine loyalty and sheepdog grit.

Tip, a mature 11 years old at the time, was raised by the veteran trainer Tagg, a well-known breeder that locals called “Old Joe.” At 86, he was getting on in years too, but on the 12th of December in 1953 off they went to look after a flock in the Upper Derwent Valley. When they hadn’t returned by the next morning, a rescue team set out to search for the pair.

Sadly, no luck. As the weeks wore on hundreds of hikers joined the search, but with fairly brutal conditions that winter, the going was tough. It wasn’t until the 27th of March—105 days later—that a couple of workers on the moors noticed what they thought was an old coat wedged in a ditch. As they got closer they saw it was Tip, guarding the body of her beloved master after 15 weeks alone in the elements. She was in bad shape, but her instincts kept her to task no matter what.

Tip made it back to be honored with the Bronze Medal of the Canine Defence League, and she lived out her last months in comfort. She was laid to rest on Derwent Edge, looking down on the quiet reservoir, not too far from those unforgiving moors.

I figure that I would gladly take a loyal sheepdog as my companion if it were my time to go. It beats going alone, I would think.

Coffee out on the patio this morning.

6 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

And then there's Greyfriar's Bobby, but it was a much younger dog.

taminator013 said...

There is nothing like the loyalty of man's best friend. After reading this story and the one about Greyfriar's Bobby I have the urge to watch my all time favorite episode of The Twilight Zone, "The Hunt"..............................

https://vimeo.com/225638010

Momlady said...

Amazing how faithful animals can be.

Mamahen said...

They loyalty of a good dog is hard to beat:))I have littl doubt my girls would be found with me, or since they are small, would perish in the attempt.

HermitJim said...

Hey Gorges...
Many more tales of loyal pets are out there, I'm sure. I just haven't seen them all.
Thanks for stopping by today!


Hey Taminator...
Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.
Thanks for coming over today!


Hey Momlady...
That it is, my friend. People should be so loyal.
Thanks for the visit this morning!


Hey Mamahen...
That's a comforting feeling isn't it. Nice to be loved in that fashion.
Thanks for stopping by today!

JO said...

Yes dogs can be very loyal and defend their owners like this one. Poor thing at that age to have survived.

I'm ready for some coffee