I got a 100% working Dogies and it is has fun as frustrating sometimes. The Mushroom Bumpers located on different corners of the PF are a nice alternative to stand or drop targets, especially when you have understood how they control the various gates and features of the PF. The 2 top mushrooms open the devil canyon gate, that saves the ball when you enter the Canyon after having hit one of the lowest right or Left mushroom which change the canyon gate layout. The middle down mushroom action the zipper so you can t lost the ball in the middle until you hit another mushroom and so on. Funnily, when the zipper is on, the canyon is very hard to get, while sneaky Joe is an easier shot !. If you execute the mushroom and gates (canyon and Sneaky Joe) in the right order, getting a free play on cactus juice is made easy, (note some machines had an Add-A Ball kit option instead so the cactus juice gave an EB instead of a Free Play.). Reversely, if you miss the top mushrooms and visit the canyon, your ball is very likely to be drained down the hole on the left line which is super frustrating.
Finally if you compare the mechanical engineering and quality of these Bally pinball machines from the late 60s, they are superior to the Williams from the mid 70s.

Holy gate control moly!

Fantastic machine - the best EM by Bally, far better than Fireball or Capt. Fantastic. Even those guys who love to say how much they dislike the pointy artwork should be fair enough to admit that at least on this example the artwork fits perfectly.

Artwork, Colors, Theme and Playfield fit and harmonize absolutely perfect together. As it seems as a 4-Player from the 60ies it's an uncommon machine in the USA but in Germany it was very very popular. Even in the late 70ies when 2-inch-Flippers and EM in general were "extinct" you still could find some of them in public use.

Love it !

Another of Ted Zale's designs that gets little credit for the uniqueness of the design.
It uses FIVE color coded mushroom bumpers to control the multiple in and out lanes on the game.

The artwork for the period is better than many, and the backglass image captures in straight line format the "cattle drive" element of what you are trying to accomplish.
In essence the silver ball is the "dogie" (ie cattle steer) that you are trying to control to various locations through the playfield.
The "Cactus Juice" bonus is the real standout once you understand the ruleset properly and gives the game a solid challenge.

Rarely, I have seen a game today that works correctly due to the multiple switch lanes control and "locks".
I guess I just am confused how people cannot understand this game, but they understand the rules of Stern's "The Walking Dead"?

The backglass was another title similar to Joust (Bally, 1969) that was made in both plexiglass and crystal glass.

If you are a fan of Ted Zale games, this is another game that should not be missed.
A damn fine EM game.

I am proud to own this game in my collection after many years searching, and it is a worthy contender to Nip-It, Four Million BC, Fireball, Bazaar, and Joust, among many others I own.
I will try to get some corrected quality photos uploaded shortly, as what I see so far is complete and utter crap.

One of the craziest and most unusual pinball games to come out of the 60's.

The Pros:
A truly creative layout by Master Zale and a surreal art package by the ingenious Jerry Kelley. This game looks, sounds and plays great! There are no PF specials or EB's... but wait! You can score extra games with scores and CACTUS JUICE! There is also a gate on the right to the shooter lane, so... that's kind of a free ball too. Zipper flippers mean that you will always be adjusting your gameplay and aim. Learn how to set up your shots with the mushroom bumpers and then send the ball into the canyon. Great action in the pops and this game always moves towards the sides and the outlanes if you do not make adjustments to your high pf game.

The Cons:
Finding one?!? Purchasing one?!? I will have to brush up on my German if I find a copy most likely...

The Takeaway:
Dogies is a game that I had been seeking out to play for over a decade. It was worth the wait. It will sing like a bird one moment and then next, kick you into the dirt. You can never take this table for granted. For me, this game is solidly on the "WANT" list. Thanks to vfwpinball.com

I owned one; I played it; then I sold it. Just not that fun of a game for me.

The concept of the game works well as an EM. Hit the targets and open gates so that when you shoot the corral to drive in the "dogies" (cattle), you can max out your bonus. The zipper flippers give the game a great added touch, but make the shot into the corral more difficult. Great concept, great game play, great EM.