A lot of dog owners favour a particular breed. With Pete Fraser, it was without doubt the border collie, a helpful, smart and loyal farm dog if there ever was one. Young Murray Fraser had no brothers, so his dog truly was a friend and faithful companion.
Frasers seem always to have had a border collie, whether out on the farm in Pilot Mound, or down east. Photos suggest Dad had at least three of them over the years. They were always named Collie.
The family did have a terrier (named Spot), and wolf hounds like Old Red protected early threshing crews from coyotes, but border collies remained the standard.
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Jessie (b. May 10, 1917) and Collie compete for Pete's attention and lap.
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Pete's brother Doug deals with a rambunctious collie pup.
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c. 1920.
Back, L-R: Annie and Pete Fraser, Annie Belle Fraser, Jessie Fraser, Dot (Mrs. Gordon) Fraser, Kate Fraser, Gordon Fraser
Front: Spot wanders past Pete and Annie's children Murray and Jessie, Gordon's daughter Myra and son Doug
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Dad's dog always followed him everywhere, even when he was ice skating ...
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... or riding Queenie, his pony
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| A dog's work is never done. With no trees in the yard, Jessie climbs the house instead, in spite of Collie's protests. |
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Back, L-R: Annie, Doug, Pete and their mother Kate Fraser
Front: Murray getting chewed by Collie, Jessie with a collie cat.
Don't let Grandma see those paw prints on that coat, Murray!
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L-R: Annie Belle, Doug, Murray, Pete, Jessie and Kate Fraser
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Looks like Collie herded a fair crowd.
L-R: Pete Fraser, Charlotte Gorrell, Annie Fraser, Marie McKellar, Jack Holden, unknown, Jessie (Fraser) Houlden, Jack Houlden's father and sister, Sam McGill, Vera Coulage, two unknowns
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Dad's dogs put up with him, including wearing what appears to be a baseball glove as a hat!
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Spot wanders over to the chickens, but Collie stays put with Murray and Jessie.
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Pete and Annie Fraser with son Murray and nephew Gordie Fraser
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That fulcrum is a little flat, but Collie is still game to check out Murray's teeter-totter.
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Collie loses interest but stays put.
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Murray (centre) wasn't really so short. It's just that older sister Jessie invited her own friends to his birthday party.
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| Collie keeps up with Murray, being towed by friend Ray Henning. |
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Jessie and Murray meet their Aunt Jessie Lovell's collie while down east to celebrate their grandmother Kate's 90th birthday, 1939.
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| L-R: Collie with Joe Lovell, Kate Fraser, John Fraser, Jessie (Fraser) Lovell |
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| c. 1942-3. Collie with Jessie (Fraser) Houlden's dog, Dottie. Dot replaced Spot. |
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Murray on the Pilot Mound farm with yet another Collie. He must have missed having a dog when he headed off to Winnipeg after high school.
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Pete and Annie with — you guessed it — Collie.
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The Reids had border collies, too. A pup comes to check out Dad, photographing his mother's original home in Ontario.
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| A collie waits for Dad's cousin Margaret Reid to "throw the ball, throw the ball!" c. 1941-42 |
