why are cattle called little doggies?

Answer 1

In the 1870's and 1880's, tough Longhorn cattle were called "little doggies" with wary affection by the cowboys who herded them. The word "doggies" in the cowboy lyric " ... get along little doggies," stems from the African word kidogo, which means "a little something," or "something small."

How did this African word become part of the American language? Part of the explanation is that one in every five American cowboys was black in the 1880s, and much of what we think of as "cowboy culture" is rooted in African cattle herding. Some historians believe that the trail-driving practices of American cowboys (such as the open grazing of cattle) were based on the ways Fulani cattle herders in Western Africa had tended their animals for centuries. So, we should not be surprised to find African words as part of our cowboy culture. The word bronco (probably of Efik/Ibibio and Spanish origins) was used by the Spanish and by enslaved Africans to indicate the horses rode in herding cattle. Buckra, comes from mbakara, the Efik/Ibibio word for "white man," and buckaroo, also coming from mbakara. These words described a class of whites who worked as "broncobusters."

Answer 2

I'm thinking that it originally referred to the dogs that were trained to herd cattle, as in: "Get along little doggies." Later, maybe.... it was changed and used for the herd in general. I'm just guessing, but it makes sense.

Sue

Answer 3

because of the fact, legend has it, that a protracted time in the past, in a land a good distance a good distance away, cowboys the place called dogs-boys, because of the fact cows did not exhist. They herded, ate, and milked dogs! Then, an evil wizard named Eloh Ssa got here and, like a entire d!ck, replaced each and all the dogs into cows! yet, to this present day, the cowboys nonetheless call their 'cows' domestic dogs.

Answer 4

They are "little dogies" -- dogies are calves that have been orphaned for one reason or another, so when the cowboy is singing to them, he's feeling really sorry for these poor, motherless creatures who are heading off to the slaughterhouse. And, of course, his situation isn't the best, either, so it's kind of a transference -- instead of feeling sorry for himself, he feels sad for the little dogies.

See here for a definition:
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/dogie