The Fat Ewe Farm has had quite a lot of dogs since its inception. In 2010, the year of my retirement and my plan to move to Thorhild, build a monolithic dome home, live off grid and build an organic permaculture farm, there were Josie, my trusty, then 13 year old border collie, Sofi, my daughter's border collie, Mikey, a rescue border collie that I was rehabilitating for rehoming and Anna, my brand new baby Scotch collie puppy (think Lassie). All of these dogs were female and all except Anna were spayed. 

The farm where the plan was to be executed was pristine and lovely, but Waste Management bought 17 quarter sections around it to create a class 1 landfilll, so an organic permaculture farm could not be located next to a dump! I put it up for sale and went home to White Rock after a short sojourn hanging out in a large shop living in my 32 foot motorhome. I boarded my horses and sheep, sold my Canadienne dairy cows, and had to rethink my plans. Josie, Mikey, Sofi and Anna came with me. Mikey was ready to find a new home and I got the best situation any dog could ever want. She went to live with a millionairess in Langley, a widow with no children who hired a dog walker for her and brought her fresh liver when she picked her up. Mikey, after her initial life of being tied on a 6 foot chain with no reprieve, must have thought she went to Heaven. She did! only on Earth. 

We found the Fat Ewe Farm then, in Elk Point and moved in March of 2011. Soon thereafter, a little fellow named Petey joined the posse, followed by Joseph, a rough collie for Anna to marry when they grew up, even though she was a little older. Petey disappeared one day, never to be seen again. Anna was hit on the highway and the next week, I lost Joseph. I was beside myself and cried all the time. I got a fence built as soon as I could, but it was too late for my friends. This is not the place for rough collies. 

Josie was not doing well, losing control of her bladder more and more until she basically had none. It was time to say so long to my much loved companion. I swore I would not get another border collie. None could ever come close to Josie. But I missed her so very much, that I started to look at border collie litters of pups. One day, this little fellow came up to me, looked me in the eye, put his tiny paw on my leg, ran to play and came back and sat beside me, looking into my eyes. Of course, that was Robbie and he came home with me and is now my constant companion. He is not Josie, but he is my dog. 
I had been reading a lot about livestock guardian dogs and living in harmony with the predators. i did not want to get a gun. I needed a pack of dogs that would keep the predators at bay, who were born and bred for that work and who bonded to the livestock they guarded. I found Harley. 

Harley was no longer wanted and if he did not get a home, he was going to be shot. So I rescued him and brought him to the farm. I was told by his previous owner to tie him up and leave him and to be careful around him until he got to know me. He is a big dog, possibly only 2 then, but the vet said possibly 5 years old...hard to tell. Harley fought the coyotes but he needed back up. One dog is not enough for a pack of bad guys. So Charka came.
 
Charka was the only black pup out of a litter of 11, all others including the parents being white. No one could explain him. He was bigger than the other puppies and was off by himself. I really liked him and chose him. Charka was difficult as a teenager, killing ducklings as he played and Robbie and he chewing up a lamb they were playing with too. Bad Charka. He also jumped the fence to go across the highway to visit the dogs there, so I tied a pallet to him. He could jump the fence and not get hung because the pallet was 10 feet behind him, but that stopped that. He still jumps the fence and goes to the end of the driveway, but as far as I know, he does not cross that deadly highway, thank goodness. 

Then I heard of two tiny Maremma puppies, which is what Harley was. They were sisters living with sheep in Saskatchewan and 'not working out' so were going to be terminated. I met the owner after driving 2 hours in a blizzard and loaded the little girls into the truck . They were scrawny and terrified. One limped. They would pull wool from the sheep and run and hide and eat it and scarf down any grain they could find. That is how they survived. The wool had bulk to make them feel full and the grain gave them some substance, but they were starved. The one who limped, Jade, had been kicked and suffered a hip fracture which was healed incorrectly. There were not 8 weeks old as I was told, but closer to 3 months, just emaciated.  

Jade and Jenna would never be large enough to fight predators, but they are the sentinels, the watchers and first alerts. So, two more Maremmas with Pyrenees, just a quarter, were selected to join the pack. 

Mike and Joe were only 5 weeks old when they came to the farm. Their mother was hit by a car and killed and the owners wanted those who bought puppies to take them. I called the vet to see what had to be done. Fortunately they were eating and drinking on their own and though they would have greatly benefitted from being with their mother for longer, they would survive with care. They were two rolly polly little balls of white fluff with black eyes and noses. Soooo cute! Mike and Joe lived with the sheep until they were teenagers, then they were removed to keep the lambs safe from rough play. Mike stays with the sheep most of the time, though Joe is very social and is often found meandering around the farm. 

Since the dogs have been adults, with Harley to teach them the ropes and ways of the guardian dog, the pack is formidable and works together like magic. Robbie is not permitted to join the pack because he is not made to fight predators. His job is to help me gather and move the sheep and he does. He also chases the foxes. 

These livestock guardian dogs have kept the farm predator safe for years now. Harley no longer works. He retired himself this year and spends most of this days sleeping on the porch or in the winter, in the porch. Jade, Jenna, Joe, Mike and Charka do the work. Harley does stand up and bark and sometimes will join the pack, but mostly he knows his fighting days are over. He has many scars to prove it. Mike is the most fierce and if I was a coyote I would run if I saw him coming at me. He is huge, likely over 6 feet tall on his hind legs and he weighs 145 pounds. He is clever and fearless. Joe follows him and together with Charka, the three big males are enough to keep the bad things away. Jade and Jenna will join in a chase but seldom a fight. Good thing. They are just too small. But they are also pretty fierce when they have needed to be. 
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I love my dogs. I cannot imagine life without them. I do not need a gun to feel safe, even walking at midnight in the bush, which I have done on numerous occasions. Dogs are a blessing. I am grateful for those fuzzy friends, over and over and over again. Bless them, my dogs. 

I live and farm alone. Sometimes there are things I need to do that really require one or two more people, but there is only one - ME! So, I ponder the situation for awhile and usually come up with some sort of plan. The thing is, even if it does not work, I can say I tried, then devise a better plan and start again. Learning is the mother of innovativeness. 

I moved half the ewes the other day, along with two rams, the little Babydoll and the big Tunis. It was my intention to use the beautiful BFL ram as the clean up ram, but I cannot handle him on my own at all, and do not even want to try. The Tunis ram is a pussycat in comparison and he was already in with the Tunis girls, then he went in with the Cotswold ewes when I put the group together and finally, the Babydolls. The Babydoll ram tried to push the Tunis around and although Thomas Tunis did not fight with the little fellow, he is only about a third of the size of Thomas. So, he basically ignored him. Still, I needed to get him out of there. Well, it just so happened that he got himself in a section where I could close the gate, move the ewes and then deal with him later. 

I locked him up, put up the livestock panels to direct the sheep, and tied Robbie up this time, since he was way more trouble for me than help last time, sending the sheep back to their pen instead of where I wanted them to go. The sheep were very cooperative, most of them remembering their pen from previous years and walked directly over to it. I simply opened the gate and they waltzed in with Thomas. 

I had to move the Babydoll ram lambs that spent the winter with the goats because they are too small to go in with the mature rams, and move Bob, who was in with the goats for a bit too. Bob is doing so much better, I do have hope he will make it through this winter! I caught Ross, who is Rosy's little fellow and has the sweet gentle disposition of Rosy and Randy followed Ross, I shoved Ross into the barn and then out the door and the two of them can stay with the ewes for a while until breeding or they are sold. Then I looked for Bob, who had toddled off. 

I could not find him. Where on earth could a large sheep go? Well, it turned out the rams were quite interested in a corner they do not normally pay attention to. I looked there and did not see Bob. I hunted around the rest of the farmyard. The gates were closed so he had to be within. I went to the corner where the rams were congregated and sure enough, Bob had gotten into the farmhouse yard through the only gate he possibly could have and then went by the farmhouse into the summer rabbit pen and was happily munching the alfalfa sticking up through the snow. On went his halter and I simply led him to the ewe pen, where he was very happily checking the girls to see if they were bred. 

To make sure Bob was not cold I brought in 4 large bales of straw and put them in the open shelter and the shed shelter. Bob could choose either one in which to curl up in for the night. I have to work tomorrow as a substitute teacher, so won't see the sheep until an hour before dark. They got mineral, salt and extra hay today to ensure they were happy until I could tend to them tomorrow. 

Getting work done is always satisfying, especially when it is over! But, oh, I still had to move the large bales of hay. I started the skid steer and moved 6 large hay bales and was ready to call it a day, but Gen and Jewel were asking for more water. I hauled 3 buckets, but the piggies wanted another drink too, so they got some and the ewes got the rest. It is cold tonight, with temperatures near minus 20, but if feels colder. I think every critter is comfortable and happy and I am glad that I was able to do everything myself. I got it done. 

People often misinterpret Jenna's facial expressions for aggression, when in fact, she is smiling. Even the boiler man who came to fix the boiler in the other house, thought Jenna was showing her teeth and warning him before her attack. That is very far from what she actually is doing. Jenna loves people and she smiles, really really smiles. She has a big toothy grin with curled up lips and with her pink spotted nose, I think she looks adorable. She kind of curls herself half backwards too and almost wags her tail,but she was abused as a pup and is still very shy. She has come a very long way and will come to greet people, even men.It was a man wearing a hat that was the abuser of the female Maremma sisters, Jenna and Jade, because for the first 2 years, any man wearing a hat meant they ran as fast and far away with their tails between their legs, as they could go. Then they would stand and turn and bark. They were still hurt and angry and afraid. Jade was injured with a kick and had a broken hip as a baby so she is the least forgiving and friendly of the two. She will still not go to strangers. Jade does not have that gorgeous smile that her sister, Jenna does, though. 

Jade and Jenna are purebred Maremmas. They are small for their breed, Maremma, which is a livestock guardian dog from the Tuscany area originally. The breed is an alert one, the dogs being highly intelligent, independent thinkers. They are stubborn and do not like confinement or to be tied. They make fine companion dogs if they have plenty of space to roam. Harley is also a Maremma and he is quite happy to curl up on Robbie's bed in the winter and relax. Jade and Jenna work the entire farm as the sentinels and watch dogs. They seldom fight, but Jenna will go out with the boys to lend barking back up. Jade always stays in the yard unless we go out for a pack walk. She will come part of the way with us then, but return to her charges in the yard before the rest do. 

Jenna is a happy girl. Today she was very pleased to see me after work and wagged her tail so hard her little body did its curled in half from side to side thing, and, she smiled! Big Jenna smiles. !

Lena, the 70% Karakul mother of the two ewe lambs born 2 days ago, went to eat and left the babies close by. They did not know where she was, being so young and with so many other sheep there, and even though they called and called, she did not come. The lambs went to the livestock guardian dog, Joe, smelled him and stayed with him until mom came and collected them. Then they joyfully wagged their tiny tails and had a drink of warm milk and were content. 

Livestock guardian dogs are not guard dogs. They are dogs bred for centuries to stay with livestock, prmarily sheep, but they can be trained for goats and chickens, even pigs. They guard their charges with their lives, fiercely fending off any would be predators. There are two guardians with the sheep, brothers, Mike and Joe. They are a year and a half old and already have assumed full time responsibility for their sheep. When they want to relax, they go "home" to their sheep pen. In the winter months, there is not much for them to do, and they are allowed out of the pen, which they easily jump. We are in a heavy predator zone, backing on to over 300 acres of crown land which is primarily wild bush. Coyotes, bears, foxes, big cats and other predators live in that zone and if these dogs were not here, I am sure our losses would be substantial. As it is, to date, with Mike and Joe and the other livestock guardian dogs, we have not lost a lamb to a predator, other than the ravens, who ate one at birth. 

There is an arial predator that hunts the farm at the crack of dawn. The livestock guardian dogs do not fend it off for some reason. Robbie, the border collie, is the only dog who is trained to arial watch and he does a great job when he is outside. As with most young border collies, he is not to be trusted yet on his own though, and when I am not outside, he is either tied up or inside with  me, so he cannot fend off what comes from the sky. 

The farm has other livstock guardians that do not live with any particular group of livesetock, but are general protectors. There are four more of them, two females that are spayed and two more males that patrol this farm and the three surrounding it. We do not see so much as a jack rabbit or gopher at the farm yard. Nothing ventures to come that near or it is chased away. The dogs first intention is not to kill, but to drive prey away from the farm, though they would not hesitate to tear apart a marauding visitor. They often come home with new scars and scratches, so they are doing some fighting away from the farm too. The females stay home most of the time, and Jade stays 100% of the time, so even if the others are off fighting, she remains home to guard. They have a certain alarm bark when there is danger and also a warning bark to let the predators know they best stay away. 

I am grateful for my big livestock guardian dogs. Only Harley is a purebred Maremma and the others are mixes of mostly Maremma and Great Pyrenees, though Ofcharka has Anatolian Shepherd and Akbash in him as well. Not every dog makes a good livestock guardian, though, even bred to be such. Some find the tantalizing taste of blood more than they can handle and they kill chickens and waterfowl, and sometimes even kill sheep. Fortunately for The Fat Ewe Farm, we lucked out and have the best of the best. Thanks my buddies. You always brighten my day with a wagging tail and cheerful smile for me (Jenna really has a big smile!). You are the best!

Mike is a Maremma and Great Pyrenees cross. He came to the Fat Ewe Farm along with his brother in June last year, making him a year and a half old. He was just five weeks when he arrived, earlier than expected, because his mother was hit and fatally killed by a car the night before he came here. Mike was shy right from the start and let Joe lead the way, but slowly as he is maturing, he is finding his own place in the pack. Joe still tries to steal food from him, but now Mike turns one lip up and gives him a growl and Joe shows him respect. He does not challenge the other dogs, but is no longer turning on his back and showing his belly, which is a sign of subservience. 

Mike was raised in the sheep pen with the sheep, first a group of younger lambs and then the older ewes. He was watched extremely close and only once did the two pups cause a real problem when they used a lamb's ears as chew toys. The lamb was really unharmed, but I am sure she suffered a great deal of pain when those puppy teeth penetrated her declicate ears. The lamb was removed from their area and they were severely reprimanded. They have not done anything esle untoward the sheep. 

Mike tends to spend more time near the sheep than Joe, placing himself on a bale or near the pen where he san survey his charges, however; he also is now part of the pack and goes on the pack walk about with the other big males (the females generally stay home and guard the yard). They mark their terriotory and check for violations and sometimes they hunt. They brought home a young deer in several bits and pieces, either one shot or hurt by someone, or one they killed. It would be nothing for the pack of big dogs to take a deer down. Usually, not even a bunny or squirrel come into their territory or they will chase them away immediately. Killing is not their first choice, though they will kill to defend the farm. 

Mike is gentle giant. He sits when he is spoken to, as he was taught as a youngster, and loves to be petted and to be near me. I love that dog! I was thinking the other day, that if I had to chose to keep only one dog, it would, of course be Robbie, my faithful constant companion border collie, but I would have a very hard time deciding between any of the others. Each is unique and brings so much joy to my life. Life without dogs is just not the same. I am grateful for these protectors that would lay thier lives down to keep the farm safe. They put a smile on my face every single day. 

The farm dogs stay outside all the time except for the border collie, Robbie, who does not have the same fur coats of the livestock guardian dogs. They grow a thick down coat and a hair coat to keep warm in the winter and their legs are well covered as well. For the most part they can be found outside lying on some hay they have pulled down from the big bales with their paws and made a hay nest for themselves. They move according to the way the wind is blowing and the snow does not seem to bother them at all. 

But, once in a while, they do like to warm up and get away from the winter. They have several options. For days when it is not overly cold, just snowy, they can use their summer houses, which have new straw about a foot deep. The houses protect them from the wind and snow, but are not insulated or warm. There are several plastic shells from the 1000 litre totes with holes cut in them and lots of fresh straw. Those are good for colder days, being entirely sheltered from any wind at all. 

And then there is dog city. Inside the straw bale fort, are 5 houses filled with straw. Around them is straw and then there is a plywood roof with straw as well. They only use these when it is very cold. 

But the barrel house is popular for the two female Maremmas. They are smaller and can easily crawl inside and turn around or curl up. In dog city, there is one barrel and there is one on its own. 

To construct the dog house, simply cut through the top of the barrel. For the outside one, I left the flap of the cut to act as a wind screen. The dogs are smart enough to know how to move it just enough to wiggle inside. Then, there is a lot of straw on the ground under the barrel and two pieces of wood to keep it from rolling, on either side of the bottom. There are straw bales surrounding the barrel house as well and a roof too. Once inside the flap shields the wind and keeps the warm air the dog generates inside. If I put my hand inside after a dog has been sleeping in the house, it is noticeably warmer than outside. 

They also have an insulated house with a light bulb, but none of the dogs use it. Go figure. If I could find a bit of a larger barrel (these are 50 gallon sized), then it would do for the bigger dogs, but the pups who were raised with the sheep sleep with the sheep most of the time at night and the other two dogs sleep outside most of the time. They like to be able to run at a moment's notice when they are on duty. I love those dogs!

Jenna and her sister came out of Spirit Rivier Saskatchewan. I drove to Lloydminster to pick them up, and it was a terrible snow storm too. The little girls were the last two of the litter and the farmer had little or no use for them. It is likely he fed them, but sheep love dog food and being small, they were not able to fend the sheep off and got nothing to eat. They ate grain and pulled wool to stay alive. 

They were also badly abused, likely kicked back into the sheep pen. Jenna's sister has permanent hip damage from a previous injury as a baby. Both girls have only just come around, 2 years after being here at The Fat Ewe Farm, but Jade will still not go to strangers and hangs way back, in case they will hurt her. Jenna is starting to be more outgoing and she always has smiles for me. She is very sweet natured and was the under dog until last winter. Her ear was torn in a fight when she was not allowed to have food with the pack. At a certain point after that, she had had enough and used her whiles to defeat her sister, which surpirsed her and earned respect from the other dogs. Now Jenna can approach and eat with the pack. She will always be shy though. Isn't she ever so cute?

Jenna is a little Maremma spayed female dog, two years old, and full of personality. She was the lowest member of the pack for a long time, until her sister, Jade and she had a fight. It was one of the first times Jenna stood up for herself rather than submitting and running. She bit Jade hard and Jade has shown her some respect, but she is still lowest in the pecking order, and she is the smallest. She must take her food away from the sight of the others, especially her sister Jade, so that she has some to eat. Usually, one of the dogs stops her and she drops the food. I have been giving her instalments in a secret place where she returns to later to enjoy. She is a nervous barker and will bark for hours on end if she feels a threat to the farm, but she does not usually go to the fight. She is quite small for a Meremma female, but she certainly has the livestock guardian dog traits. Unfortunately for her and for her sibling, she was badly mistreated and abused as a tiny pup, kicked back to the sheep pen, fed but not watched and the sheep ate the pups food leaving them starving. They ate the sheep's grain and pulled wool in order to survive. Jade had a broken hip at some point, which did not heal properly and she will limp always. In cold weather, it bothers her even more. Jenna is a little less shy of people than Jade, however; she will not go near a strange man wearing a ball cap. Her abuser was such a man. Jade and Jenna were rescues, but have permanent homes on the Fat Ewe Farm and are loved, cherished and adored. Who couldn't love that smiling f

Jenna is a year and a half old. She is a rescue dog and was abused by a man when she was very small. She is still very small for a Maremma and very shy. She will not go near a man, even one she has known for some time, one who loves dogs very much. She can not allow herself that much pain ever again.

But today it was spring. It was blue skies, big skies and she was high, high on the top of the hay bales. Jenna smiles when she sees me, sees her saviour, the one who loves her, protects her and cares for her. She smiles and she is happy and today, a warm day when the snow was melting, Jenna was smiling and melting my heart too. We should be so fortunate to touch the life of another living creature, to gain their trust and to be loved as we love them. How could she not smile when she was on top of her world today? Jenna is a beautiful dog in the big blue Alberta sky. She is.

Mike is a shy dog, the underdog in the pack, at least for now. I somehow do not think this will last. He is smart and a smart dog will see opportunity and seize it at the appropriate time. For now, he hangs back and lets Jade boss him around. At times, I am sure he goes hungry, because she will not let him near any food. I have taken his meat to him in the sheep pen, where he still goes to his dog house for sanctuary, but Jade has now started to go in the pen and take it away from him there. She has been harshly reprimanded for this and I hope she will stop. In the meantime, I sneak food to him late at night when she is on watch. He comes to the door and waits and I have saved some good meat for him, which he quietly accepts and wolfs down until until he is satisfied. Then he lopes away. He walks beside me, something Ofcharka does too.

Joe is the opposite of Mike, a big goof of a dog. He would rather stay and get a whoopin' from Jade than run away, so he does. She bites him, but he is big and most of the time she does not hurt him at all. He cries out and lays on his back to feign injury and she stops. When the other dogs have finished eating, he is there to pick up the remainder.

Both pups were raised with the sheep and they stayed in until they were about 3 months old. Then the lure of the pack and the farm was too strong and they dug, climbed and chewed their way out so many times that I gave up. Now they are large enough to just jump over and that is what they do. They are comfortable with the sheep, but Joe has chased them with Robbie, the border collie, while Mike does not do that. Mike is by far the best potential of a sheep guardian, then Ofcharka, because he will go in with any of the animals. He just does not stay.

The pups have taken to me, too and they look for affection and love, which they get plenty of. They are huge, beautiful dogs, still growing and eating lots and lots of food. It is too bad they did not bond to the sheep. They should have, but they didn't. Managing a pack of 7 big dogs will not be easy when the animals are at large on pasture this summer. I am quite sure I will have to invest in a shock collar for training purposes and also I may have to tie the dogs to something that will stop them from chasing. Ofcharka is large and strong, and a tire was not enough, so he got tied to a pallet, which he was able to drag easily, but not chase with. That worked. The girls did not need anything last year, but Jade chases everything away from her yard, so we will see when the cows arrive.

Joe and Mike are going to be great dogs. Now to teach them to stay with the sheep. Oh..wait. I have been trying that for ever with no success. I guess they will have to be general farm dogs then. Sigh.