On October 28, 2012, two female Maremma puppies joined  the farm. They were born in a sheep barn in Spiritwood, Saskatchewan on July 26, 2012. and have lived their entire lives with the sheep. Both parents are livestock guardian dogs, tending a small flock of sheep 24 hours a day. These dogs bond to the sheep and never leave them, except for brief periods to patrol perimeters and of course to eat. Dedicated to the well being of their charges, they protect with their lives if need be. The Fat Ewe Farm is proud to have Harley, a male Maremma of the age of 3. One day he will marry the females and beautiful young puppies will be shared to help protect flocks of their own.  

 Sadly, 2 dogs, both rough collies, have been lost to the highway since March 2011 and Peter went missing on June 16, 2012. Currently, the farm has 5 dogs, Robbie, the border collie, Ofcharka, Livestock Guardian Dog and Harley, purebred Maremma and the Maremma female puppies. Three are large dogs and all of the dogs are well socialized and friendly. All the dogs are working farm dogs and keep the animals and humans safe. 

Ella often sleeps in utter abandonment. This open belly pose in dogs is a sign of contentment and absolute relaxation. Shhh...

There are 5 dogs at The Fat Ewe Farm. For those who do not like dogs, they can be tied or restrained for your comfort. They are young, some still puppies, and are very friendly and adore children. We are working on the jumping and staying off, but they get excited like any youngsters and forget. They will love you to pet them and play. 

The dogs are a working part of the farm. Joseph keeps the sky safe by hunting the ravens and hawks. Robbie and Sofi chase everything that should not be in the yard back out of the yard and help put animals back where they belong and move them to new places. Ella, Peter, Harley and soon, Ofcharka (who is still a puppy) are the livestock guardian dogs and they keep all the animals and humans on the farm safe. Most of their work is done at night when they patrol the perimeter and fight predators. Sometimes, yes, they get hurt, but they are fairly large dogs and Ofcharka will be enormous. At 6 months he already weighs 75 pounds and is larger than most of the other dogs. Together, they make an excellent team. The females are spayed and the males are scheduled to be neutered in June, except Ofcharka who will be scheduled for fall when he is older. The dogs are wormed regularly and form part of the farm team, a team that the farm could not run without. So far, thanks to the dogs, there have been zero predator losses. 

Sofi and Robbie will fetch a ball and Joseph will join the two of them to play with the water spraying from the hose. The livestock guardian dogs do not play much. They sleep a good deal of the day.  

He was adorable. I found him in Saskatchewan. It seems the rough collie (Lassie) has fallen out of popularity, so they are not being bred very much. Anna, the female tri colour rough collie, was such a delight, that I decided to make this breed mine. I had always had border collies, and though I love them a great deal and think there is no other dog like them, they are energetic and require constant training until around age 5. Since I am getting a little older, the rough collie seemed a pleasant departure...a little less energetic, yet still a herding, all round dog. So Joseph arrived. He loved Peter and hung out with him all the time. For the first 7 moths Joseph did not move much. He just grew. And GREW and GREW!!!

Then he began to play a little, but still was exhausted from his rapid growth. In 6 months he had attained a sizeable height and fantastic stature. He was beautiful! He now plays with Robbie and follows me around until he is tired, when he plops down on a pile of hay somewhere in the yard and sleeps. I have been bringing him in at night and taking him in the truck when I go out since Anna was tragically killed on the highway a few weeks ago. For never having been in the house, he was a natural. He lays on the mat and rests or goes in his kennel and sleeps. He is still growing and has a huge appetite. Isn't he something? 

I have had dogs all my life. I cannot imagine being without them. The wag of a tail, the soft eyes, the love they show and their value in protecting all add up to the perfect companion for me. There is nothing finer than sitting outside with the dogs. They are happy to be with me, whether it is under the stars or in the sun. They love to walk in the woods or just play fetch in the yard. I am never afraid and always happy with my dogs. There are many stories to tell but for now, I will just put some picture here to tell their own stories.