Spring cleaning...and I don't mean my house.

The buck pen, AKA "San Quentin."

After warm weather, then snow and more snow, we are FINALLY enjoying a warm up.  As the snow quickly melts, I'm left with a winter's worth of muck.  All of my pens are a disgusting lasagna of ice and manure.  Yuck!  Now the springtime fun really begins.  I'm assessing winter's aftermath and it ain't pretty.  There's lots of fencing repair work to do, but the biggest obstacle is mucking pens.  I cleared a heavy bag of dog poo from Sunny's favorite spot.  I tried kicking through the hay layer in the buck pen and have yet to hit dirt.  Ewwwwww!  The doe pen has ice patches so covered in manure and hay I'm not sure it'll ever melt.  Don't get me started on the chicken run.  Wait, what am I doing sitting inside, there's work to do.  Be back later!

My Case for my Love-able Great Bernese

Lazy Sunday afternoon! Sunny and Denali

Today in the Livestock Guardian Dogs group on Facebook, a heated debate broke out about what they were calling "mutts, " LGD, nonLGD mixes.  I did tactfully, give my opinion on this subject. Trust me, it was not easy!  I did my research before getting an LGD/nonLGD mix.  For the haters out there, Berners are very intelligent, easily trained, AND were originally bred as working farm dogs.    

Herding can be a rewarding activity for dog and handler, an activity that brings back the heritage of the Bernese Mountain Dog. The Bernese, an all-purpose farm dog from the heart of chocolate- and cheese-producing rural Switzerland, historically and to this day helps in the daily chores of these alpine farms. Duties such as rotating stock among pastures, bringing dairy cows and goats in twice daily for milking, supervising grazing and guarding the farm were among the daily chores. Aiding in the delivery of livestock, milk, cream, and eggs to market were among the weekly duties. The skills required for some of these duties were also in demand by drovers routinely delivering cattle to town markets and by butchers moving livestock around their stockyards. Many Bernese are still performing some of these duties today. Many others possess the ability to work with and around livestock, even if only as hobby herders.*

I've found that crossing a Great Pyrenees with a Bernese Mountain Dog has created a loving, intelligent guard dog.  Despite Sunny's love for fence hopping, he is incredibly easy to train.  He picks up on commands within a few lessons and retains them with lags in his training.  Sunny and Pearl's pups are remarkable dogs as well.  Jojo would have been a fabulous LGD if I hadn't decided to keep her a house dog.  There are some true LGD that actually make terrible guardians.  It really is a crap shoot as to what you get.  I think the most important lesson to learn is to research dog breeds thoroughly before you add a new dog to the family.  This definitely helps find the best breed to fit your needs.       

*Compliments of the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America
http://www.bmdca.org/breed_education/pdf/08_bernese_activities_herding.pdf

Bringing up Denali: Part I Learning Curve

Working girl!

Denali joined the Ranch a little over a week ago.  In this short period of time, I am seeing amazing potential in her.  She may be young, but she is already displaying behaviors sought after in a livestock guardian dog(LGD). 

I am realizing that I have trained Pearl and Sunny completely wrong.  They were both born on farms, raised with livestock from puppyhood, but they got too much human attention early on.  Sunny was even in the house for a while, HUGE mistake!!

Denali is in the pen with my does and their kids.  I tried to separate them, but they kept sneaking into each other's sides of the pen.  Now my doeling Rosie sleeps with Denali.  Most of the time Denali is displaying proper LGD behavior, she sniffs and licks the does.  The does correct Denali when she gets a little rough.  

Denali's training is taking a very hands-off approach.  Even my family has barely had contact with her.  I only interact with her when I feed and milk the rest of the critters.  I correct her when she's getting a little rough with the goats.  The way the pens are set up around the house, I can see most of my pasture through the windows.  Other than that, I ignore her.  Denali needs to bond with the goats, once that happens I can start obedience training and get her comfortable with the family.  So far, so good, but we do have a long road ahead!  

Tough Love

Pearl resting in the dining room.

It's been six weeks since Pearl left us.  A day doesn't go by without me thinking of what an amazing girl she had been.  I was left with a beautiful gift in her daughter, Jojo.  That fluffy little girl is a joy, just like her momma.

Downtown Lander, WY

Last Thursday, hubby and I had a weather window to make the six plus hour trip one way to Lander, WY.  Here in this small town in the middle of nowhere, we picked up my newest addition to the Ranch, Denali.  

Denali on the ride home.

Denali is an 8 week old Great Pyrenees. She made the six plus hour journey home cuddled in the backseat of hubby's car.  Denali was as quiet as a little mouse for the majority of the trip, minus a little whining when she first left her family.
 

Denali and her goats.

Now the fun begins!  Denali is a blank slate.  She was born on a sheep and goat farm.  Mom and dad are working livestock guard dogs.  She's had minimal contact with people.  Now she needs to bond with the goats, learn that they are hers to protect.  All I can do is stare out my window at this adorable little cotton ball outside.  Right now, I can't let her bond with me, which means VERY little contact with me and no contact with the family. She's penned up next to the goats, but they keep wiggling through the fencing to hang out with each other.  My does are being gentle with Denali, and Denali is learning to be gentle with the does.  Luckily, the goats have had contact with dogs, so they aren't too skittish around her. Denali is observing, learning, taking everything in.  Once she has bonded with the goats, I can start training her.  In order to raise a good protector, I need to follow a completely different training regimen than dog owners are used to.  Denali is an LGD, not a pet.  Her place on the Ranch is to work, to keep goats and chickens safe, and to fill the big paws Pearl left.      

Winds of Change

I'm feeling incredibly blessed.  I've been doing a heck of a lot of praying lately.  Pearl's passing left my little farm world a bit topsy turvy.  The last six months or so have truly been a time of upheaval.  Now as the warmer days of spring taunt me, I'm beginning to re-envision the Ranch.  I've raised chickens for 8 years now and goats for 3.  It's high time I take stock and create a clear set of goals for this crazy dream that needs to become a profitable reality.  I've been busy "playing" farm.  Currently, my coffee table is piled with various books on goats and farming.  I'm researching business plans and niches in my area.  Reading, learning, soaking in every little bit of information I can find.  I've got plans, BIG plans, but also smart plans.  Any decision I make must benefit the Ranch and not put a financial strain on my family.   God has been a wealth of knowledge and inspiration during this time as I quietly wait and listen for him.  He knows what's best, and he's filling me in on the details.  I'm finally listening, I see a bright, bright future ahead.  Exciting updates to come!!

Ebb and Flow

Regal dog.

Life on the Ranch is ever changing.  Weather dictates most of my plans.  Life and death are an ever-present reality.  With a heavy heart, I am ready to talk about the death of my spirit animal, Pearl.  Pearl was a rare jewel: patient, loving, protective, stoic. Never have nor ever will find a dog with her gentle spirit.

February 11, 2016, Pearl crossed the rainbow bridge after a short battle with an aggressive, incurable osteosarcoma or in other words, a really shitty bone cancer.  She began to slow down in November, lose weight.  At first, I thought she was depressed from lack of attention.  For 8 weeks Pearl and her adorable brood of pups were the center of attention.  A steady parade of friends came through to pet Pearl and cuddle the pups.  I figured her weight loss was caused by a change in food.  By the end of November Pearl moved into the house, so I could keep her well fed and warm.

We had good days and bad as time went by. Pearl would put on some weight, but her movement would decline.  After I had exhausted everything I knew to do to help her, I called in reinforcements, my farm vet. Blood was taken, medications prescribed, I was hopeful.  Then the bloodwork came back negative for all of the diseases we thought she may have.  The only odd thing was a low protein level.  More bloodwork, more meds, yet she continued to decline.  We moved Pearl to the deck, with a dogloo, and a heat lamp.  She hated being in the house to the point where she'd literally eat my walls.  I wrenched my back shifting her position, trying to get her to move.  Pearl stopped moving, she stopped eating, she stopped drinking.  I was exhausted and at my whit's end.  The vet came out again!  This time, we gave her vitamins in hopes that that would jump start her system.  My vet and I cried, we knew her time was short.  I looked into the soulful eyes of that amazing dog, I told her it was okay to go.  I loved her, but she could be healthy, playing in sunny fields with our other dearly departed dogs.  I kissed her nose as I always did.

Hubby got home late that fateful night with dinner.  As I ate oblivious to my hubby visiting Pearl and retiring upstairs for what seemed like an excessively long time. He came back down and broke the news, Pearl had passed.  I gave her permission, I told her it was okay, but it wasn't, she was supposed to get better, I had prayed, I had faith.  Sitting in the cold, I stroked her limp body and sobbed.

The next morning her body was wrapped in an old sheet, and placed in the trunk.  Next stop for hubby and me, the CSU Veterinary Hospital in Forst Collins for a necropsy.  Normally, I love a road trip, but this one was macabre.  I was a mess, every little thing brought me to tears.  To make matters worse the pathology department was at the very back of the amazing veterinary hospital next to the dumpsters.  How could I leave my beautiful, special girl near dumpsters?  I did it!  I kissed her good bye one last time and let the pathologists do their job.  I needed answers, I needed to know what killed my young, vibrant dog.  We were barely on the road after a somber meal, when my vet called with news.  The preliminary report, an aggressive osteosarcoma which probably began in her rib cage.  

The days that followed brought more reports and more answers.  An incredibly aggressive bone cancer began to form sometime in November.  The evil beast grew and spread at an alarming rate.  We would have never found the cancer, it was completely untreatable, and due to her young age it was NOT genetic.  It was a cruel twist of fate.  Pearlie was a once in a lifetime dog.  I was blessed to have had her in my life.  She is greatly missed!  I thank God every day for her daughter, Jojo.  Jojo is a little piece of her mom, a tangible piece I can hug.  Pearl may have left her family, but her legacy lives on.

My Plug for Universal Pet Food

Boo eating puppy food.

I know that dogs and cats have different nutritional requirements, but it would make some much simpler if there was a universal pet food for both.  My dogs would scarf down a bowl of cat food at the first opportunity.  Cookie, my cocker spaniel, follows me into the bathroom to get cat food snacks from the bowls on top of the dryer.  

Marmalade licking the gravy out of a can of Pedigree dog food.

My cats seem to love dog food.  They sneak hard food out of dog bowls.  The new thing is to hang out and wait for me to finish feeding Sunny, my guard dog, so they can lick the gravy out of his soft food can.  Now if my dogs like my cats' food and my cats like my dogs' food wouldn't it be easier to feed everyone the same food?  Food for thought!