Questions about the Country Song "Old Red" (Not Café Society material)

[HeyHomie]

There’s this Top-40 country song, Old Red, by Kenny Azar or something. In it, a man is sentenced to prison and eventually becomes a trustee whose job it is to take care of Old Red, the prison’s tracking dog. The prisoner works out a scheme where he takes Old Red every night to see a nearby bitch, penned up about a mile south of the prison. The con then keeps Old Red away for a few days and escapes, going north. Then, when the guards turn Old Red loose to find the escaped con, Old Red instead heads south to his bitch.

Clever song, but it got me to wondering…

First, I’m thinking that a male dog would have no interest in a bitch unless she was in heat. IOW, taking Old Red for his walk each night was, to Old Red, just that: a walk (as opposed to a bootie call). Do dogs develop something akin to friendships? (As an aside, if Old Red’s bitch was in heat, would he have been able to smell it from a mile away?)

Secondly, don’t working dogs “know” when they’re working? IOW, Old Red would know that his job was to track the escaped con, not go booty-huntin’, when the guards came a-callin’ with their guns & flashlights & whatnot.

Any dog trainers care to chime in?

[Reeder]

It’s a song. Take the lyrics with a grain of salt.

[Duck_Duck_Goose]

IANA dog trainer but…

First, I’m thinking that a male dog would have no interest in a bitch unless she was in heat.

Right, I think we’re all kind of assuming that this is what’s going on in the song, that the “lady friend” was in fact in heat. I think the songwriter knows that we know this basic fact about dogs. No, I don’t think Old Red was “just visiting a friend” (I’m flashing on the dogs in Lady and the Tramp for some reason. Ah, Disney…)

http://www.cockerspanielinformation.com/puppies/breeding_whelping/heat.htm

21 day heat cycle–7 days to “come into heat”, 7 days to be “in heat”, 7 days to “go out”. So yeah, it’s feasible. And yes, he could have smelled her from a mile away. And yes, he’d have made a beeline for her 'stead of getting down to work. Working dogs do know when they’re working, but then again, they’re only human. Or something.

http://www.pcna.org/BIT/PCNABit.htm

Bitches in heat require special approval from the Field Chairperson to be admitted. They will be run last in each test segment on the last day of testing to avoid distraction to other dogs. Since the FIELD SEARCH portion of the BIT requires dogs to run in braces, bitches in heat present a major problem. In view of this circumstance, bitches in heat may be withdrawn from entry in the BIT without penalty and be eligible for a full refund of test fees. At the judges’ discretion, bitches in heat may be run with a bracemate that is not under test evaluation. The Field Chairperson and the judges are responsible to ensure that the presence of a bitch in heat does not adversely affect the performance of the other dogs.

http://www.bigskyschutzhund.bizland.com/bh.htm

Bitches in heat may compete after all other dogs have been judged for the day. It is the responsibility of the handler to notify the judge and trial secretary that his bitch is in season. The handler should keep his bitch off the trial grounds and away from other dogs until called for his turn.

http://www.asca.org/Programs/MVA.htm

Host Clubs are encouraged to offer the opportunity for bitches in season to compete in Regular Agility at the National Specialty for Versatility consideration. However, the decision of whether to provide for bitches in season at the National Specialty to compete in Regular Agility for Versatility consideration is solely the discretion of the host club. Whenever the host club elects to offer the opportunity for bitches in heat to compete for Versatility, the following rules shall apply:

1. Versatility bitches in season shall run after all other competitors in Regular Agility have completed their runs. If Regular Agility is run before the Jumpers and Gamblers classes, then the Regular courses for the bitches in season will need to be reset after the Jumpers and Gamblers classes are run.
2. Round one and round two (if offered) at a given level (Elite, Open,
   Novice) shall be run back to back.
3. Versatility bitches in season shall wear panties during their runs;
4. Bitches in season should be crated sufficient distance away from the agility ring so as not to create a distraction for the dogs in the ring.

So yeah, you give Old Red a choice between nookie and work, and nookie wins, every time.

[Calliope]

Actually, it’s Blake Shelton who sings the song.

[LadyMack]

More.

Having had hunting dogs that could tear thru a shed wall when motivated, I don’t doubt it a bit. They don’t much listen to humans for 2-3 weeks.

[Finagle]

“Now there’s red-haired Blue Ticks all over the South,
Love got me in here and love got me out.”
Heh.

Another question which I’ve been mulling over since I heard that song this weekend is why, if the guy can arrange for his cousin to get a hound to the prison, why he didn’t just arrange for a fast horse? Or a fast car, for favorites.

You can cobble up some lame explanation involving the extra time bought while Old Red is off hareing after the female, but on the whole, I think you’d be wise not to examine the logic of the song too carefully.