Old Friends And Family

"Hi, my name is Salt.  I don't know why I'm here. I miss my old farm and my old family.  I'd been there a long time, almost 14 years.  This farm is okay though.  At least there are sheep here.  The other flock dog is nice to me and I've known the shepherd since she came over to my old farm and picked up a lamb named Keebler."

Salt was one of the guardians at the "big farm", where the Final Frontier Farm mommas and babies live after they leave the lambing barn.  She worked there with Old Zee and Brick and the job they did there was epic...yet standard as good flock dogs go.  

Old Zee passed away last year.  The summer farm help ran over Brick a couple weeks ago.  Taking care of hundreds of lambs was a big job for three dogs.  It would be impossible for one very old one.  The scramble to find a replacement was on.  

Guardian dogs are bred to do a job and that job is what they want to do.  The instinct even in puppies is incredibly strong, but they need many months of on the job experience with guidance and supervision before they fully ready to work a big farm with freshly weaned lambs.  Kathy needed to quickly find an adult dog, not an easy task.

Her best option was a female with four puppies on her.  She could borrow the mother until she found something else, but the puppies would obviously come with her.   Putting two females together safely would have been incredibly hard.  A female with puppies...would have undoubtedly killed Salt.

Stella, at the "lambing farm", made it perfectly clear that Salt was not welcome there either. They know each other from some past incidents.  Those instincts that make them good guardians are the same instincts that get them into trouble sometimes.  Flock dogs can be complicated. 

Salt's only safe option would be living in a kennel run. Nobody wanted that.  Guardian dogs are bred to do a job and that job is what they want to do.  We offered to try her here.  Our farm is well fenced, Hank, a male, is as laid back as they come and there are sheep.  Several sheep she even already knew.

The first night was terrible.  She was horribly confused and upset.  I slept in the barn with her and neither of us got much sleep.  The next day she relaxed a little, but as evening came she got very agitated again.   Maybe she was thinking she needed to be out working her old farm. The stormy weather wasn't helping anything either.

As the days have progressed, she's seeming happier.  She likes the barn with the cool, dark feed and tack rooms.  Tim moved the trailer (aka spaceship) next to the barn, but she prefers to sleep out in the driveway under the truck.  She hasn't made any patrols yet that I'm aware of, but she does like hanging out with the sheep.  

Hank is fine :-). 

If You Think I've Gone Missing...

...just check the skirting room. Whew!  I'm done with our fleeces and now I'm working on the fleeces from Tring Farm.  Hopefully I'll be finishing up today because it's almost time to load the trailer!  

For something fun I thought I'd post a Lamb Camp shot from the April Archives and found this sweet picture of one of the guardian dogs, Bella, sleeping with a ewe we call Georgie and her two lambs.  Which reminded me I had a picture from earlier in April...

Georgie was a first time mom this spring and I love this picture of her getting reassurance from Annemarie as they got ready to head to the nursery.  The lambs born out in the field get a ride to the barn in a dog crate on the back of the golf cart.  The moms follow along, keeping a close eye on their babies.

I thought I'd add a link to more information about the golf cart set up and guess what!  That's Georgie as a lamb!  What a fun coincidence :-).

Georgie's fleece is one of the fleeces coming to the festival this weekend.  It's a lovely color and would be a great first fleece for someone wanting to learn how to wash and process a farm fresh  fleece.  I like pairing up fleeces to people and am happy to talk wool all day long, so don't hesitate to ask me for suggestions :-).

Hope to see you this weekend!

Happier Hank

"What's the matter, Hank?"  

"Everything.  I need a tummy rub."

"Sorry Miss June, but it's Hank's turn."

"Can you believe that?  That guy is so mean, talking to that other dog and not me."

"This place is (yawn) terrible."

Hank loves everyone, but he especially loves Saint Tim :-).  

Just making sure June knows he's getting all the attention.  June's not losing any sleep over it ;-).

"I think I need some more tummy rubbing."

And that's why Saint Tim is his favorite ;-).

Before you feel too sorry for June, she'd already had a turn ;-).

Flock dogs are endlessly fascinating.  While many people have seen border collies working, herding sheep under direction of a shepherd, the only way you could get a taste of how livestock guardian dogs work would be to live with them.  I love the teams of guardian dogs at The Training Center and Final Frontier Farm.

The first night June was here we heard Hank and June barking together out back.  When the coyotes started calling last night I woke hearing June barking in the side field, up near the road.  Hank was barking out back.  They'd divided up and put the sheep, in the barn, between them.  Teamwork!

In the past Hank would have had to work the back AND the front.  It's not like this is big open range, but that's still a big job traveling back and forth.  This morning when I walked out to let the chickens out I quietly peeked around the back of the barn.  Both dogs were sound asleep together in the barn lot about 25 feet apart :-).  

I did morning chores about an hour later and Hank seemed much happier this morning.  He finally allowed himself to slip out the gate to make his normal yard check and then a big loop out back and I think that helped as well.  We've had everyone closed into the arena, barn lot and side field so we can keep a close eye on everything for a few days.  

I think life is starting to settle back down.  For everyone.