This morning the dogs were treated to a pot of soup with a lot of pork meat in it. It was just one day older than it should have been to safely consume and they were happy to devour it. I scooped it out with my hand and fed it to the dogs. They have learned not to growl or fight when being hand fed and to take food from my hand without biting my fingers. They must wait for their turn when their name is called, to eat and cannot steal from the others or they get no more and are sent away. This is part of being pack master where food control is demonstrated. It is my food and I am sharing with the dogs. They must never show any aggression to me or they would be severely reprimanded and get nothing. So, seven dogs it is and I love it. Now, to work on keeping the boys with the sheep...
Hands down, dogs are my favourite animals. When I was a youngster, I used to think that if there was not enough food for me and the dog, if we got stranded somewhere together, I would give him some of my arm flesh to keep him alive. That is how much I love dogs. So, now that I can, I have a lot of them, seven to be exact. There are three rescue dogs, all Maremmas, an Italian livestock guardian breed. They are large white dogs, gentle with their owners and with livestock in general, but killers when it comes to defending what is theirs. One dog will keep most predators at bay on a farm, but seven will work together as a pack and pretty much nothing should come near the animals. I had hoped and worked to keep the two male Maremma/Pyrenees puppies in with the sheep, so they would bond to the sheep and live there as one of the flock, however; their pack instincts are very strong and they want to come out and be one with the rest of the dogs. This is not so bad, if they also return willingly to their sheep and rest there most of the time. Lately, they do not want to go back to the flock, and even though I have tried to patch every escape route and hole in the fence, they keep finding ways to come out. They are good puppies, and were brought here for sheep guardians so that when the sheep are out in the pasture, they stay with them. I could tie them to a board or tire or something that would prevent them from going through the fence and keep them tied up for a few weeks. Perhaps I will try that and see if they will willingly stay in with the sheep then. Otherwise, there will be a pack of 7 dogs, 6 livestock guardians and Robbie, the border collie. Managing the pack will be harder with more dogs, especially since 4 are unaltered males. There is a plan to neuter them one at a time, but the cost is very high, around $350 per animal, in this area. The females are spayed and Robbie is neutered already.
This morning the dogs were treated to a pot of soup with a lot of pork meat in it. It was just one day older than it should have been to safely consume and they were happy to devour it. I scooped it out with my hand and fed it to the dogs. They have learned not to growl or fight when being hand fed and to take food from my hand without biting my fingers. They must wait for their turn when their name is called, to eat and cannot steal from the others or they get no more and are sent away. This is part of being pack master where food control is demonstrated. It is my food and I am sharing with the dogs. They must never show any aggression to me or they would be severely reprimanded and get nothing. So, seven dogs it is and I love it. Now, to work on keeping the boys with the sheep...
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Of all the animals on the farm, the dogs are my favourites for sure. I am dog person and have had a dog pretty much most of my life. My favourite breed is the border collie, crazy as they are, because there is nothing like them. They are perpetual puppies and always in trouble when not given some work to do, because they just go create their own. This is not always what we want them to do either. The livestock guardian dogs are my second favourites. I had no experience with these breeds, the Pyrenees and Maremmas, but they are gentle giants, except when it comes to predators and their farm. Then they turn into killers. I have never seen the remains of a coyote around the farm, and have never seen a coyote either since the dogs have been old enough and big enough to fight them. Ofcharka is the size of a bear and black, and Harley is equally as tall, but slighter in build. The pups, Mike and Joe, will be as big as Harley, I am pretty sure and they are already barking at the bad things in the night. So, with the seven dogs, we do not have predator losses (except to the pigs, but that is another story). Livestock guardian dogs like to elevate themselves to best view their surroundings. They also like the warmth of a composting pile, and since I use manure and spent hay on my flower beds, they do not see much difference in laying on a flower bed or manure pile. I suppose from the perspective of the dogs, it is the same thing only in a different place. To plant anything I have to fence it in or it is soon trampled or laid on and gone, squashed in oblivion. Jenna is sleeping on the new flower bed being created by the new deck. Fortunately, the only flowers planted in it so far are roses surrounded by wire cages. The cages are for two purposes. One is to keep the dogs off the plants and the other is to keep them from marking the rose bushes. Five of the dogs are males. One marks the rose bush, then the other four have to and the first starts again and the rose bush dies. So the wire cage helps with that a lot. Now, to figure out how to best fence the raised bed in place for roses and flowers...hmmm. My they are growing so quickly. Their features are changing now to an awkward long nose and their less round face, but they are still adorable. More closely bonded to the sheep, they come out to play with the other dogs and then go home to their flock. During the day they can be seen snoozing amongst the sheep, being perfectly comfortable to be covered with mud and sheep droppings. An update on Jennifer, the sick sheep... She was not eating today and barely able to walk. I gave her a little grain which she slowly chewed, but only a few mouthfuls, then she lost interest. She had another shot of vitamins and minerals and B's, but she is too weak. Once she quits eating, there is nothing more I can do for her. What is amazing is that she went from a robust healthy sheep to being completely wasted away in a month. I am watching the others now for any signs of anemia and treating them with Valbazen, an alternative chemical wormer. Ideally they should have garlic every week via a syringe, but until I get that set up manageable to administer the garlic by myself, I have to rely on the chemical wormer in times like this. It is a good thing that puppies do not get sick from the barber pole worm, though they do and can host it. Cute big boys, these pups are. It seems like just yesterday that Mike and Joe, the Maremma/Pyrenees puppies came home. They were only 5 weeks old, but the day they arrived was the day after their mother had been fatally struck by a car. The vet said that since they were eating and drinking on their own, they would most likely be just fine and they are, but where did the time go? And early this summer, the goose hatched five baby goslings, today, basically indistinguishable from their parents because they have grown so fast. It seems that with the busy bed and breakfast and the farm, there are never enough hours in the day to all the things that I want to do. Time passes and then the seasons change and a new year begins and I wonder where it all went. My mother used to say that, " I wonder where all the time went." Me too.
Jenna sleeping with her head on a 'pillow.'
Jade and Jenna are the Maremma puppies that came to the farm last winter. As it turns out, there were likely beaten and starved as young pups. When they were at the veterinarian's to be spayed, he said their age was at least 2 months older than I was told they were. Small for their breed and age then, it was suggested that they were not fed. I think they were fed, but the sheep ate the dog food leaving the pups to starve, so the pups ate grain and wool. They were like little wild things when they were here, scared to death of any human, especially men. Jenna still is and lately has been running from me too, even with food in my hands for her. The problem is that she is the low dog on the totem pole and last to eat, so if she doesn't eat when she is fed, chances are she won't get enough. With seven dogs at the farm, there is plenty to go around, but the old saying about a dog in a manger is some what true too. The other dogs will hoard the food and not allow her to have any if given a chance. Jenna barks a lot at night, which is what she is supposed to do, but she has not learned to discriminate and barks are any noise rather than real threats only. Her sister, Jade is the opposite, being dominant over Jenna and she is larger, but she has arthritis at a year old and walks with a limp sometimes. So does Harley, the 4 year old Maremma and he was not taken proper care of either. What gives with livestock guardian dog owners? Do they think these dogs will fend for themselves, do not need shelters and are impervious to bad diets? Grrrrrr! Jenna likes to sleep with a "pillow". She is pretty cute and is the only dog on the farm that smiles, but she also cowers with her tail between her legs, even though it is wagging. Poor Jenna. I want to help her, to make it all better for her, to make her confident and trusting. I love her and will work on this. In the meantime, Robbie is not hard on Jenna and the two are friends, but Jenna isolates herself to sleep away from the pack. The other 4 adult dogs can often be found near their summer houses, snoring away. Robbie can often be found on top, never sitting still too long. Ah, those dogs are amazing!
Mike and Joe are Maremma livestock guardian dogs with a tiny bit of Pyrenees. They will be large dogs, judging by their weight and paw size. Only 8 weeks old now, they have lived at The Fat Ewe Farm for three weeks because their mother was tragically killed by a car. The puppies were able to eat and drink on their own, so they came home with me a little earlier than anticipated. For their first two weeks, they lived in a special pen behind the house, then they were moved in with the lambs. As they grow, the lambs will move in with the ewes once they are weaned and self sustaining and the ewes have dried up their milk. Hopefully, the puppies will be strong enough and smart enough to avoid the aggressive ewes protecting their lambs, since ewes and lambs can recognize each other for two years or longer. The pups will have a sanctuary pen in the event they need to escape from a rough ewe. In the meantime, they certainly have a lease on cuteness!
Robbie loves water play. He has dropped his toy to the bottom of the bowl and loves to stuff his head right in and retrieve it, then do it all over again.
Hands down, dogs are my favourite animal. I have had dogs all my life and could not imagine living without them. My last faithful companion was 14 when she left this world, also a border collie. How I loved that dog. Robbie was the closest replica I could find for my beloved Josie. He is not Josie and brings his own uniqueness to the farm. Water and Robbie go hand in hand. He love it! After playing fetch and jumping to get his toy for a while, Robbie was hot, so he stepped in the duck bowl and dropped his toy in then spent 20 minutes picking it up off the bottom of the bowl, which meant his face was submerged to his ears, and then doing it all over again. He was likely wishing the bowl was much larger so he could dive in himself. Robbie is not allowed to roam free like the other dogs because he is not a livestock guardian and although he is very fast, he is not built to fight predators. The last time he did, he got quite badly beaten up with strips of his fur ripped off and huge gashes in his skin. Fortunately no muscle was torn and he recovered without intervention. Still, he thinks he should go and fight too, so he must be tied or at night, he sleeps in the house. When he gets bored inside, he does a few bad things too, like tear the paper bit by bit of a cardboard box, but generally he is really good. He has slept beside goat kids, lambs, chicks, ducklings and a gosling and not hurt any of them. He also could help himself to eggs, but he doesn't. He is good that way. He sure was cute playing in the bucket though. And Mike and Joe, oh boy, it is hard not pick them up and love them to bits. They are soft and cute and so loveable, but they must not bond to me. In a week, when they are a little older, they will be placed in pens inside the goat and sheep pens, away from each other. They will be alone, but on the other side of their pen, the goats and sheep will be able to interact with them. Once they are not afraid of them, they will be allowed out under supervision and eventually they will simply live with the sheep and goats, one with each group. But in the meantime, they are soooooo cute! Aren't they?
Jane, the cat, kneading Jade, before bed time. They usually sleep together.
Jade and Jenna are the Maremma puppies. Jade is larger, huskier and more mature, plus more sensitive than Jenna. Jenna barks a lot, mostly at nothing, while Jade pays attention to the big dogs to see if they are barking. Ofcharka, the huge Akbash, Anatolian Shepherd, Great Pyrenees, Maremma cross, who is also mostly black, loves Jade, as does Jane. Jane sleeps on Jade, and before she sleeps, she is often seen kneading Jade. Jade does not mind and love Jane too. Ofcharka has always been motherly, um, fatherly would be better, to Jade as well, cleaning her ears primarily, but often licking her face. Jade follows me wherever I go, like Robbie, the border collie, lays down and waits for me, then continues on. She is becoming a fierce protector too, barking at foxes and coyotes, of which there are plenty at the farm. She is a sweetheart, exactly the loving family dog that a Maremma can be, with the independent intelligence that makes the breed superior livestock guardian dogs. Her one vice is that she has been known to steal eggs and eat them up, so we are working on that. Otherwise, everyone loves Jade! Harley, the Maremma livestock guardian dog, was brushed this evening and a pound of his down was saved for spinning. This beautiful soft down is similar to Angora, though this is raw and needs washing. It is not pure white, but a mix of whites. Spinners use all sorts of fibers for their craft, even dog hair and that is exactly what this is! I brushed my precious Maremma, Harley, this evening and got a pound of fluffy fiber. I would like to offer it free to a spinner to see what they can do with it. It kept Harley warm in minus 40 weather this winter, so I am sure a little would go a long way for warmth. He needs one more good brushing to remove the remainder of the fluff and he will have donned his summer coat. I love that dog! Harley, I love you and I am so glad you came home. It started out a great day, despite the snow, because Harley, who was missing for almost 2 days, was home. This dog is my best loyal protector. He is highway savvy and watches when he crosses the road and seldom does he anyhow. He chases the neighbour's dogs back home as far as the highway and comes back, but he has many scars and sore spots from fighting with the Rottweiler, German Shepherd and the Rottie cross that live across the highway. He also chases the coyotes away. I would hate to lose him and was so grateful to see him this morning. And if you have ever wondered where the term 'bird brain' came from, take a look at this. The snow has covered the food in the chicken's pen and they cannot find it. This has happened before. If something, food or water included, gets covered by snow, the chickens have no clue where it has gone. Bird brains! The snow was odd today. It was below zero, yet icicles formed on Lucy Llama's coat and were frozen rivulets going down her sides. She has not yet been shorn this year, thank goodness. Who knew it would be so cold for so long? People who have not had sheep, goats or llamas around here have no clue how to feed them. Their "premium" alfalfa hay, which cost me 90 dollars a bale, delivered, is useless here. The sticks and straws are all left and these animals only pick out the leaves if they can. What a waste!
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AuthorFluffy writes daily about the experiences on the farm and with the bed and breakfast patrons. Archives
October 2020
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