Bio
Bob & Rhonda
This good looking black Queensland Blue Heeler was born near Aladdin, in the northeastern corner of Wyoming. She started out tough,’cause a rattlesnake crawled in and killed one of her siblings when they were just a couple weeks old. About a month later Bill and Rhonda Stearns came to visit and this little survivor decided to adopt them. They were lonely for a Blue Heeler after losing their precious Homer, and she was confident she could cheer them up.
Bill stuck her under his arm and headed for the pickup, after writing a check for the adoption fee. The owner said, “Let us know when you name her.” Gruff old Stearns turned so she could see the pups’ backside and said, “You’ve already named her, when you bobbed off her tail – it’s ‘Bob’.”
Rhonda figured that wasn’t a very good name for a girl, and wondered if it would be changed to ‘Bobbi’ or ‘Roberta’, but after living with her a while she decided the name was just perfect. Now thousands of people know her as ‘the-girl-named-Bob’.
When she first moved to the Double Spear Ranch Bill was gone haying most of the time, so Bob decided to bond with Rhonda, even though she was supposed to be Bill’s dog. As she matured she discovered she has enough love for both of them, but she persists in being Rhonda’s shadow, earning her an Indian name, Underfoot. Bob and Rhonda took a bad fall together and neither Bob’s hip and hind leg nor Rhonda’s knee have ever been the same.
Bob attended her first Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering at the age of 3 months, and everyone thought she was a miniature because “no puppy can be that well trained.”
After a less-than-favorable debut with ranch work (when she at first decided to heel Rhonda’s horse, since she couldn’t see any cattle), Bob proved her prowess as a very savvy and obedient cowdog. Her short legs and hip injury prevent her making most of the long jaunts in the big prickly pear, though, so she took up some other careers – namely yodeling and playing pool.
Bob Stearns is the worlds’ only yodeling dog, and probably the worlds’ only pool playing Blue Heeler, and she does a fine job of both. Ovations for her skills at the pool table (where she’s known as Wyoming Fats) are always long and loud, interspersed with exclamations of disbelief.
As to her yodeling, along with being on television she’s appeared on stages in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Texas and California. She gets lots of applause and received a compliment from a fellow performer in Texas for her “amazing stage presence.” Another fellow performer, Jim Dalglish, was so impressed he wrote a poem about her, which resulted in her being on www.cowboypoetry.com. Here's Jim & Bob with his poem below....
Jim Dalglish & Bob
The Creation of Yodeling Bob
5, Jim DalglishBill Lowman hosts a Gathering each year 'round Memorial Day.
Poets and Singers come to Medora. Some come a considerable way.
There's locals from Western Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and more.
Canucks from the Ozarks, like Eli & John, and Glen Ohrlin from West Arkansoer.
Idaho's Ernie Sites, on his way to Ft. Worth, sure had some unusual things goin'.
Like Cowboy Songs with a Memphis Blues Beat, and a "Rap Version Strawberry Roan."
Packer fans from Wisconsin. Lots o' people named Johnson from the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Colorado, Nebraska had each sent a few. 'Twas a big crowd, make no mistake.
Most of the Poets had written their stuff, but a few read from Classical Prose.
Lots o' pickin' an' singin' of old Cowboy Songs, and a few "Karaokers" arose.
53 people got up and performed. They filled all of two afternoons.
The "Headliners" worked in the evening, doing poems and wonderful tunes.
Some 300 people had gathered on Sunday, AM, to hear and to sing Gospel Tunes.
All of the singers had time to perform, 'cause it lasted from 9 until noon.
Eli Barsi and Sites started out the event. Each did a couple of hymns.
Headliners performed, they filled up two hours. Then they said "Would YOU like to sing Jim?
I hadn't played or performed Gospel Music for at least 20 years, I revealed.
"Well, we need someone to fill the last quarter hour" the MC named Rhonda appealed.
Maybe I could remember a song that would fit in some sorta "church category."
"I could do some "Ghost Riders" cause the Devil's Own Herd's an integral part of the story"
She asked if I needed some "back up musicians", but I didn't know many folks there.
If she got me a couple like Barsi and Sites, I said that would sure be a nice pair.
She said "They've already put their stuff away, but there's one who would do a nice job,"
As long as you're doing a song like "Ghost Riders," you could sure use old "Yodeling Bob"
She said Bob would really be perfect, 'cause Ghost Riders was his favorite song.
I said I'd like to meet him. She said "He's outside, but he'll be right along."
A few minutes went by and no backup appeared, but she said "Don't worry, he'll show"
Then she introduced me, and I stepped on the stage, and she said "Don't worry - just GO."
I began to perform, and I sang the first verse of old Ghost Riders in the Sky.
Then I happened to see a strange sight on Stage Left, just out of the corner o' my eye.
This DOG just trots out, and it stops next to me as I'm finishing up the 1st verse.
I start on the "Whoopie Eye Aye" of the chorus. The DOG SINGS as though we'd rehearsed
He goes "WOOF & ARF" and a long WOO WOO HOO ! He even performed in MY KEY.
I gave him a look, started on the next verse, but he just waited there patiently.
Then I started again on the chorus. He took over and sang "WOO WOO HOO"
Next, we got a standing ovation, both for me and for old YOU KNOW WHO.
They asked us to do it all over again, so we gave it another encore.
"Lets hear it for YODELING BOB (& for Jim)" They laughed until they got sore.
Sites and D. W. Groethe inquired how I got BOB to yodel that way.
I told 'em that I'd never met "Bob" before, but was sure he made everyone's day.
Two cowboys were standing in the parking lot, alongside their old pickup trucks.
The discussion that those two were havin' 'bout ME, well, it was worth 10 million bucks.
The slim guy, he says to to the heavier fella "Say, how about that LAST ACT?"
The other guy stops an' he thinks fer a while, like he's tryin' to remember each fact.
Then he smiles, and he mumbles what I'm sure will be one of my all time favorite quotes...
"I guess that the BIG guy could sing real LOUD, but that DOG could sure hit the high notes"
I'm sure if I go to Medora again, that I'll be assured of a job.
But I'm NOT sure they'll take me without my BACKUP, our old friend YODELING BOB !
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