Speaking of Maremmas — we’ll just make this “Maremma Week” on the blog — here’s our old girl Gina in a photo I took a couple of days ago. She had just been?”retired” from a career producing puppies for a Maremma breeder in Vermont when we offered to take her. She only had two puppies in her last litter, and she was thin and worn out. We got her spayed, fed her back into condition, and gave her time to rebuild her reserves. She became our first livestock guardian dog, and helped raise and train Aaron for us when he came as a puppy. For three years now she’s gone out to pasture every day with the goats and other dogs, but about mid-summer this year we realized it was time to retire her from guardian duty.
She was struggling to keep up on the daily hikes going to and from the pastures. Though she wanted to go, the length of the treks would wear her out. (We’ve had her hips checked out and she’s okay.) And then on several occasions during those walks, much to our consternation, she’d just wander off in a totally different direction and disappear into the woods. We’d have to continue on with’the goats and other dogs to get them into their pasture, then return?in search of Gina. It’s not like she was going into the woods to lay down. No, she kept going! This was the perplexing part, given how at other times she’d seem to tire from the walks.
We think we might have been seeing the first signs of doggie Alzheimer’s, because it was very odd behavior to just walk away from us, the goats and the other dogs. She’d never done it before. When we’d catch up to her she’d have this look on her face that said, “Um, what am I doing here?” Otherwise she seems fine … she’s happy to greet each new day, bounds out the gate with a spring in her step, has a great appetite, and eagerly looks forward to going out every morning.
What we do now is put her in a pasture right next to the goat barn for the day — kind of like an elder day care facility, if you will! — and she hangs out there while the goats and other dogs are in distant pastures. At the end of the day we bring her back to the Maremma pen in the barn, where she joyfully?greets the other dogs when they return from goat duty. She’s kind of like the ‘welcome home’ committee. So these days’she’s on her second retirement and enjoying every day!
Those beautiful blue flowers in the photo are fleabane, a.k.a. “a weed”, which will be gone as soon as we rotate the goats back into the?pasture Gina is in. (Gina says, “Jeez, I hope I don’t get any fleas from this fleabane.”) Here’s a photo of one of our goats, Melody, eating a fleabane flower earlier this summer:
And speaking of goats, we’ve grown the goat herd large enough now that we are’starting a small farm goat meat enterprise to help generate some additional revenue for the nonprofit. A couple of weeks ago we rolled out a website for this venture, called Munching Meadows. You’ll see that same photo of Melody on the home page. I’ll be posting more farming related topics on the blog associated with that website.
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2014 Shelter Challenge Underway
The latest round of the Shelter Challenge for 2014 is underway. It began July 14 and ends September 21. You can vote every day at?http://www.shelterchallenge.com/. To search for us, type in our name, Rolling Dog Farm, and Lancaster, NH 03584. We’ve won thousands of dollars in the previous contests, so your daily votes do bring in serious money for our disabled animals!
Please note that I cannot help with technical or voting problems. If you find yourself having issues, please consult their FAQ page and their Rules page.
Thanks for your votes!
DO I DARE ASK HOW YOUR GOATS FOR MEAT ARE PROCESSED? THIS IS A WONDERFULL IDEA FOR THE FARM BUT I THINK SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE APPAULED THAT YOUR EATING YOUR “PET” GOATS.
AS FOR GINA SHE LOOKS HAPPY & CONTENT. AS IT SHOULD BE WHEN YOU RETIRE.
Felicia, these aren’t “pet goats.” As we said when we first added these goats to the farm in 2012, we’re raising them for meat. Initially to help feed the dogs as part of our humane pet food initiative, and now that the herd is large enough, to sell goat meat to others. The goats are processed at a small, family operated USDA facility in New Hampshire. More info about them on the How To Order page on that website.
Well observed re Gina, and well managed, too. One of the things I deeply admire about this project is the way in which Alayne and you are as comprehensive and thoughtful as you can possibly be in your approach to things. So, while the focus of Rolling Dog is pretty much what it says in the title, you have thought about what it means to care for canines as well as horses, what it means to care for the land, and what it means to care for the artisanal skill of farming. It is an integrated whole – very gratifying to read. Thank you!
Lovely story – those Maremmas are beautiful dogs! Thankfully, you are very strong people; I’d fall in love with those goats, and end up with a herd of pets, indeed! Unfortunately, I’m not a vegetarian, so I certainly appreciate those with the fortitude to raise animals to feed others…
A gorgeous picture of Gina, Steve. “Lucky dog” comes immediately to mind. 🙂
Enjoy your well deserved retirement, sweetie!:-)
Having experienced what doggie dementia brings I wish y’all all the best. One of my dogs 2 years ago began acting strange, going in endless circles in the backyard even though you could tell he did not want to, not knowing where the bed was, and other little signs were showing up. We managed his symptoms by changing up his diet and medication for a while, but the meds gave him restless legs so he would just pace endlessly in the house.
We kept him going for several more months but had to admit defeat when he fell asleep in his water dish. He had been losing his sense of smell as well has hearing, not bad except that he had been blind for years. His body was still strong but that last week he was just gone.
I wish y’all the best and hope things go better for Gina, as long as the zest for life is there, you can put up with a lot to keep them going and happy.
Cool!
Phyllis
Sweet Gina!!!!!!! Love the Maremmas week—let’s make it Maremma Month!
Gina has had such a great life with her goats, living the dog guardian dream!
Now the dream has taken a bit of a detour but it still sounds beautiful and
beneficial, glad she is adjusting well!
Retirement is great when you have a comfortable environment and those who love you all around. Sounds like a wonderful time of like for her!
Gina will surely enjoy her retirement! What better place than RDF 🙂 I have a dog with Canine Cognitive Disease (aka doggie Alzheimer’s). She’s no spring chicken and for the most part she’s doing ok, I just have to get used to dealing with her a little differently. Other than that, she’s just fine.
Love the maremmas! When growing up we had a newfoundland and a great pyranees, both gentle giants. Gina looks so much like Beau did I want to give her a hug! How you find the time for all this is a miracle, but bless you both!
Gina has certainly earned her retirement. She has worked hard in both her lives, and deserves a rest. Nice site for Munching Meadows. I bet you’ll become very popular as a restaurant supplier, especially given the recent farm-to-table focus among chefs. Congratulations on another plan coming to fruition!
She is a pin up girl, absolutely beautiful. There are some meds out there that can extend the quality of life for a dog with dementia when it becomes more pronounced but nothing stays it. Enjoy her and let her enjoy her beautiful life a RDF.