Here are a few pictures J managed to get a few weeks before the sheep came off the mountain.
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| Nell taking a break. |
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| Handsome Wito. |
Showing posts with label guard dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guard dogs. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Ultimate Cuteness.
When we drove up to see them, my heart melted. They are the cutest little things ever. Well aside from these two cute pups and this courageous guard dog and this little guy. Okay...I can go on and on.
Meet Mac.
This is Dottie.
....and so two more dogs make 14!
I am so in love with these two.
Friday, August 19, 2011
More Dogs?
Yes, please!!
My friends, our dog count at the ranch is growing from 12 to 14.
J just called and told me we are picking two Great Pyrenees pups up in the morning.
I am so excited!
I'll be sure to post pictures, but for now I just had to share my fabulous news!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Mutton Mondays - A letter from the Forest Service and BLM
This is a letter released to the public. Funny that our sheep and dogs are one of the few 'bands' they are talking about. This letter gives great tips for hikers and backpackers that are headed up into the mountains this summer. I also thought it would give you a little more insight on what life for the dogs and sheep is like in the high country.
For immediate release: June 17, 2011
Visitors to public lands should be aware of livestock protection dogs in the high country.
As the snow melts in the high country, hikers, backpackers and
other visitors will soon be joining bands of domestic sheep in heading
for public lands. Domestic sheep are grazed on public lands under
permit from late June to early October. A band of sheep is often
accompanied by a pair of livestock protection dogs, which are an
effective tool used by ranchers to protect sheep from predators. These
large white guard dogs are often Great Pyrenees or Akbash breeds.
The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management will be posting
signs along trails and trailheads notifying users of the dates that
domestic sheep bands will be grazing in certain areas. Follow these
safety tips when encountering guard dogs in the backcountry:
When approaching a band of sheep, allow time for the guard dogs to see
you and determine you are not a threat. Remain calm. If you do not
appear to be a threat, the dogs will often just watch you pass by.
If you have a dog with you, it may appear to guard dogs as a threat if
it gets too close to the band or tries to chase sheep. Keep your dog
close to you and under control. Leash your dog for as long as you can
see sheep band.
Try not to “split” the band by walking through it; instead travel around
the sheep via the least disruptive route. Keep as much space as
practical between you and the sheep band, especially if you have a dog
with you. As you pass, keep line of sight between you, your pets and
the guard dogs.
Bicycle riders should dismount from their bikes and walk past the band
with the bike between you and the livestock protection dog. Do not
remount until you are well past the sheep.
Do not:
* Chase or harass sheep or livestock protection dogs.
* Try to outrun livestock protection dogs. If a guard dog approaches
you, tell it to “go back to the sheep,” or tell it, “No!” in a firm
voice. Do not attempt to hit or throw things at it.
* Attempt to befriend or feed livestock protection dogs. They are
not pets. They are lean athletic working dogs, which are cared for by
their owners.
* Allow your pets to run towards or harass sheep. They may be
perceived as predators by the livestock protection dog and attacked.
* Mistake a livestock protection dog as lost and take it with you.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Almost there...
You haven't lived until you've trailed sheep. For reals.
The anticipation absolutely sucks, but the reward when the sheep get to their destination is like no other. The camaraderie is amazing because it takes every.single.person to get it done successfully.
Last Sunday was the last leg of the big trip and it started early. We were up and at 'em at 5:30 am and met where the sheep were taken the night before. After a quick, "Good Morning," I continued on to my destination which was the intersection on the main highway. It was a chilly morning and I found myself doing jumping jacks to stay warm.
I waited there for about 20 minutes in the middle of the street with my flag. When I heard the baa-ing I knew it was "go" time. The sheep came around the corner, I started waving my flag and stopped the first car. Thankfully, the car wasn't in a rush to get anywhere and wasn't pissed that she was stuck behind sheep. You see, some people will get super angry and annoyed and others will say things like, "Oh, neat!" or "Wow, that is a lot of sheep. How fun!"
The sheep were only on the highway for about 30 minutes until they got on the county road.
Once they got on the county road it was a piece of cake from there.
We trailed about 2 hours and hit our first rest stop. Pop and J arrange our stops beforehand since some people may not be up for a visit from the sheep.
The people that owned this lot didn't mind one bit and they want us back next year!
2.5 hours later we hit our lunch spot.
We wanted to take advantage of the feed there and give the sheep, our herders, J, Pop, Gell and myself a break so we stayed here for about 4 hours.
After that long break, we were on our way again!
See Pop's truck and sheep camp up front? He was front flagging in the car and I was trailing behind the sheep. I've learned it's best to front flag because in the back you see everything! Every time a sheep or lamb would go off trail my heart would start pounding. On top of that, any stragglers get put in the back car (my car) to be taken back to the ranch.
From now on, I want to front flag (walking) like I have in the past.
It's so fun to see all the families that make an event out of it. We had families with their lawn chairs, in their robes and some that came out to shake hands with our herders. These kids were pretty excited.
These llamas were pretty excited too!
It never fails that animals along the way walk up to their fences to see what is going on.
People tend to try and help along the way. This guy was "helping" on his 4-wheeler keeping sheep on the trail using a rag.
The view along the way is always so beautiful. This house is just gorgeous, don't you think?
Once the sheep got to where they would stay for three nights I was able to breath again. All of the sheep (except the one mama and three babies we had to take back to the ranch) made it safely.
Thank goodness!
Here they are at their last stop for the next three days!
We took two guard dogs, Embre and Gringo up to the high country later that evening since there are bear and coyotes up in the high country. The dogs will help ward off predators.
There you have it, the sheep are up in the high country and they are happy, safe and have GREAT feed.
Funny story...
Once we got to the location above a man drove by and told us there was a bear wandering in a nearby field. I decided to try and find the bear, in my car, of course.
Smart, I know.
I snapped this picture thinking I found it!
Turns out that was a tree stump. :(
As timing would have it, just when I get this post published it's time to move again! J did a move yesterday and there is another move on Sunday. Now it's just a matter of getting them up in the mountains. We spread these moves out and stop along the way when the feed is good and if the people along the way are up for a visit from the sheep. This year is a good year for feed and the landowners up the way don't mind the sheep, so we are taking advantage of that. :)
Happy trails and wooly white tails!
The anticipation absolutely sucks, but the reward when the sheep get to their destination is like no other. The camaraderie is amazing because it takes every.single.person to get it done successfully.
Last Sunday was the last leg of the big trip and it started early. We were up and at 'em at 5:30 am and met where the sheep were taken the night before. After a quick, "Good Morning," I continued on to my destination which was the intersection on the main highway. It was a chilly morning and I found myself doing jumping jacks to stay warm.
I waited there for about 20 minutes in the middle of the street with my flag. When I heard the baa-ing I knew it was "go" time. The sheep came around the corner, I started waving my flag and stopped the first car. Thankfully, the car wasn't in a rush to get anywhere and wasn't pissed that she was stuck behind sheep. You see, some people will get super angry and annoyed and others will say things like, "Oh, neat!" or "Wow, that is a lot of sheep. How fun!"
The sheep were only on the highway for about 30 minutes until they got on the county road.
We trailed about 2 hours and hit our first rest stop. Pop and J arrange our stops beforehand since some people may not be up for a visit from the sheep.
The people that owned this lot didn't mind one bit and they want us back next year!
2.5 hours later we hit our lunch spot.
We wanted to take advantage of the feed there and give the sheep, our herders, J, Pop, Gell and myself a break so we stayed here for about 4 hours.
After that long break, we were on our way again!
See Pop's truck and sheep camp up front? He was front flagging in the car and I was trailing behind the sheep. I've learned it's best to front flag because in the back you see everything! Every time a sheep or lamb would go off trail my heart would start pounding. On top of that, any stragglers get put in the back car (my car) to be taken back to the ranch.
From now on, I want to front flag (walking) like I have in the past.
It's so fun to see all the families that make an event out of it. We had families with their lawn chairs, in their robes and some that came out to shake hands with our herders. These kids were pretty excited.
These llamas were pretty excited too!
It never fails that animals along the way walk up to their fences to see what is going on.
People tend to try and help along the way. This guy was "helping" on his 4-wheeler keeping sheep on the trail using a rag.
The view along the way is always so beautiful. This house is just gorgeous, don't you think?
Once the sheep got to where they would stay for three nights I was able to breath again. All of the sheep (except the one mama and three babies we had to take back to the ranch) made it safely.
Thank goodness!
Here they are at their last stop for the next three days!
We took two guard dogs, Embre and Gringo up to the high country later that evening since there are bear and coyotes up in the high country. The dogs will help ward off predators.
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| "Take me to my sheep!" |
Funny story...
Once we got to the location above a man drove by and told us there was a bear wandering in a nearby field. I decided to try and find the bear, in my car, of course.
Smart, I know.
I snapped this picture thinking I found it!
Turns out that was a tree stump. :(
Huge FAIL on my part.
As timing would have it, just when I get this post published it's time to move again! J did a move yesterday and there is another move on Sunday. Now it's just a matter of getting them up in the mountains. We spread these moves out and stop along the way when the feed is good and if the people along the way are up for a visit from the sheep. This year is a good year for feed and the landowners up the way don't mind the sheep, so we are taking advantage of that. :)
Happy trails and wooly white tails!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Mutton Mondays - Predators and Guardians
Sheep are pretty defenseless. Sad to say, but it's true.
Their only means of defense is staying together in a large herd and even then that's pretty pathetic. In a situation like that you are just hoping the predator goes for the sheep next to you. They probably don't make eye contact, try to suck it in to look unappetizing. You get the picture...
Coyotes, bear and mountain lion are our biggest problem. Many nights you hear the coyotes howling out in the field. A few seconds later you can hear the dogs barking and then their barks fade off into the distance. That is when I say a little prayer and ask God to watch over our hard working dogs.
Bear are a problem for us when we are up in the summer range. It would be nice if bear only stuck to nuts and berries, but they do not.
They eat our lamb and often several of them in one night. In the video that J made below at 3:33 our herder is stitching up a ewe that was attacked by a bear the night prior. I believe we lost one or two sheep that night. Doesn't sound like much, but that night we were lucky.
The dogs do the best they can with the bear and mountain lions but there are only so many fights our dogs will win.
Recently our state representative tried to pass a bill that would repeal the limits that a 1992 initiative placed and give the Wildlife Commission and Colorado Division of Wildlife the authority to change black bear hunting restrictions based on wildlife biology and game management practices, not legislative mandates. Unfortunately, this bill died. As a sheep rancher's wife we are hoping this bill has better luck the next time around.
I can't take any of the credit for keeping our sheep safe from predators.
The credit belongs to our hard working herders and our fearless guard dogs; Tank, Scout, Joe, Wito, Embre and Gringo.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
My favorite time of day.
The nearby gas plant has a siren that goes off every single day at noon. It is because of this siren that noon has become my favorite time of day here at the ranch.
This is why...
(at 00:20 and 00:32 he gets really into it)
This is why...
(at 00:20 and 00:32 he gets really into it)
Monday, February 21, 2011
Moving Camp
A few weeks ago I helped J move camp. Isn't as easy as it sounds especially when you actually help rather than watch which is what I've been known to do in the past.
We lease Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land for our winter range. The winters are milder there and we can move to different areas on our permit land every week or so to ensure new feed. Our herders are from Peru and are really good at what they do. They stay with the sheep in the sheep camp. They will doctor the sheep when needed, keep them in the right area so that our sheep don't mix with neighboring sheep bunches.
This morning we had to get out there before the sun comes out. If we wait until the snow melts everything is muddy and it's harder to move camp.
Our herder and sheep are already gone. They start to graze over to the new area early in the morning. We hook up the camp (using a ridiculously scary piece of equipment called a Farm Jack), load up all the wood, and anything else that is lying around and head on over to the new spot. Hooking and packing up camp takes about a good hour and a half.
We head over to the new camp which is about a 5 mile drive (but feels like 10 miles since we have to go about 10 miles per hour). We unload and I plow snow out of our way. We use the ridiculously scary piece of equipment again and I find myself closing my eyes. If it breaks and the sheep camp hitch falls to the ground and topples on J I sure as heck don't want to see it happen.
Right as we were taking the last salt block out of the bed of the truck we hear a bell. The sheep are here! We walk over and soon see the dogs Embre, Wito, Skip and Chili and here comes our herder.
We chit chat for a while and give the pups a treat. J and our herder talk about the next camp and when they will move. They have to take into consideration how much feed (or lack thereof) is here at this camp - that will determine how long the sheep can graze this area.
I can say
We lease Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land for our winter range. The winters are milder there and we can move to different areas on our permit land every week or so to ensure new feed. Our herders are from Peru and are really good at what they do. They stay with the sheep in the sheep camp. They will doctor the sheep when needed, keep them in the right area so that our sheep don't mix with neighboring sheep bunches.
This morning we had to get out there before the sun comes out. If we wait until the snow melts everything is muddy and it's harder to move camp.
Our herder and sheep are already gone. They start to graze over to the new area early in the morning. We hook up the camp (using a ridiculously scary piece of equipment called a Farm Jack), load up all the wood, and anything else that is lying around and head on over to the new spot. Hooking and packing up camp takes about a good hour and a half.
We head over to the new camp which is about a 5 mile drive (but feels like 10 miles since we have to go about 10 miles per hour). We unload and I plow snow out of our way. We use the ridiculously scary piece of equipment again and I find myself closing my eyes. If it breaks and the sheep camp hitch falls to the ground and topples on J I sure as heck don't want to see it happen.
Right as we were taking the last salt block out of the bed of the truck we hear a bell. The sheep are here! We walk over and soon see the dogs Embre, Wito, Skip and Chili and here comes our herder.
We chit chat for a while and give the pups a treat. J and our herder talk about the next camp and when they will move. They have to take into consideration how much feed (or lack thereof) is here at this camp - that will determine how long the sheep can graze this area.
I can say
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Evening prayer.
You know those people that are afraid of their own shadow? Yeah, that's me. So you can imagine when J said he would like to go to a sheep industry conference and he'd be gone two nights how stoked I was.
That was a joke.
I did o.k. running from my car door to the front door of our home. Let Jiggy inside and locked the door behind me. Phew! Is it always this dark out here in the country?!
I did o.k. after I threw the bedroom door open in an attempt to scare off anyone who may have been hiding underneath my bed. Nothing jumped out at me. Safe.
I did o.k making dinner with my back against the wall so I can see if anyone was sneaking up behind me. Hah! That'll show any robber trying to sneak up on me!
I did o.k. sitting on the couch not moving, in fear that my own quick movements would scare me. That's okay..I'm always this still. ;)
I did o.k. throwing back the sheets on the bed to check for spiders. This I do every night anyway.
I kissed Jiggy on the nose and said goodnight to her like I do every night and crawled in bed. Cozy. Warm. Tired. One night down, one more to go. I did o.k. today.
I say my evening prayer and thank God for this beautiful, wonderful life. I thank him for all we have and the opportunities he's given us. I am so grateful and happy. Content.
Just as I am drifting off I hear scratching. In the wall. We have mice. The first night I am alone. The first night of two! You have got to be kidding me. NOT o.k.
It was a test and I passed. I passed last night because I brought Jiggy in the room and she guarded me from those monstrous, murderous, dangerous mice. Yes, this is the same dog that runs from deer and she too is afraid of her own shadow, but I believe that she will protect me if I were in danger.
Okay, maybe not so much, but it helped.
I tucked myself in the covers (burrito style) like I used to do when I was 5 years old and scared. I squeezed my eyes shut and went to bed. Or at least tried to besides it was too late to call over to my in-laws and ask if I can come over.
I tucked myself in the covers (burrito style) like I used to do when I was 5 years old and scared. I squeezed my eyes shut and went to bed. Or at least tried to besides it was too late to call over to my in-laws and ask if I can come over.
I will pass this test again tonight, I'll do o.k. even if it is because I will sleep just down the road at my in-laws.
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| Jigs, the guard dog. |
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Winter Wonderland
It snowed over the weekend and everything looks beautiful including our pups!
The dogs looked fenced up here, but don't worry your pretty little head, they aren't. The dogs stay in the large pens with the sheep but jump through the fences when they want out. I'll work on getting video of this. It's pretty impressive.
The dogs looked fenced up here, but don't worry your pretty little head, they aren't. The dogs stay in the large pens with the sheep but jump through the fences when they want out. I'll work on getting video of this. It's pretty impressive.
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