Friday, September 17, 2010

Good Times, Bad Times

I'll start with the good times. Wednesday morning we left for Paso Robles in Southern California to see a lady about a dog. Meet my new puppy, who doesn't have a name yet. We call him Puppy or Skunk. He got the name Skunk because of his coloring. He is a five month old Armenian Gampr Dog. The link will give you some history about these cool dogs. He has the sweetest temperament, and he has already made friends with little Jobeth and Jake or should I say Jake and Jobeth liked him from the start.  At his birth home he would go in the barn with some five week old pups and lay with them. He is already showing his ability to be level headed and evaluate the situation before taking action. I've only known him for a few days and I'm in love! He's a real dogs dog. My favorite thing about raising any kind of animal is getting in their head to understand why they work the way they do. This guy is going to be fun.
Landrace dog for some landrace sheep. 



Can't wait to walk him up the mountain but he's still a baby. I started him in the barn. Now we're out on the lawn. Tomorrow we'll go up the the emu pen and head towards the sheep. The sheep will not come to the barn. They need to learn what that big black dog is all about.




I wish the pictures of his feet would show how really big they are in life. The pads of his feet are as big as Jake's and Jake weighs somewhere between  100-120 pounds. Puppy/Skunk  is 5 months old and around 50 pounds.



Okay now bad times. Duncan was off and on for more than three weeks with Urinary Calculi. Wednesday morning first thing I found he had died during the night. He was my favorite ram for many reasons plus we won't be able to do the genetic study for the blind lamb "thing" I found here in my flock without him.
Does anyone have a ram for lease!!!!!  And if he has ever over the years produced a lamb that was blind at birth that would be a plus!  I could use him.



9 comments:

Sharon said...

Oh, I am so sorry about Duncan (yo you). He's been a pretty miserable boy these last months, but boy, I'd sure would have loved to see him pull through it.

I'll have to come meet the pup. He's adorable and it'd great you finally have a working guard dog. BTW, Chris Coscuna is giving away her emu and asked if I want it - I told her to ask you :)

Laura said...

Very nice pup. I think "Skunk" is a great name. You could also call him Ivan, or Igor, both good slavic names, however, I'm partial to Pepe (as in Le Pew).

Sorry to hear about Duncan. You win some, you lose some. Unfortunately with sheep, you lose more than you'd like! Hopefully you can find someone to 'fess up about blind lambs and loan you a ram. You could also rent your flock out as a "testing ground" for that trait... Hmmm... There's a thought. If they produce them, they're burger... No way the shetland folks would go for that, but it's a thought!

Nancy K. said...

I'm sorry to hear that Duncan lost his battle with Urinary Calculi. You sure did try to help the big, beautiful guy! I hope you find something suitable to replace him with.

Adorable pup! I've never heard of the breed. Keep us posted (with lots of pictures!) as he matures...

Carolyn Jean Thompson said...

So sorry about Duncan. When doors close, another one opens.

Gone2theDawgs said...

:( I'm sorry to hear of Duncan's passing. He truly was a special ram. I hope you are able to find a replacement soon that you will love as much.

The Gampr is a breed that has always fascinated me. Your boy is beautiful!

Fiber Floozie said...

I am so sorry about Duncan but I can't wait to see the new pup. He looks like he'll be great.
Heidi

Ebonwald Cardigans said...

sorry to hear about Duncan. He was a very handsome ram!

Congrats on the puppy! i'll have to google that breed. They remind me of NewFoundlands at that age...but obviously have different 'jobs' than the Newfies :)

Tina T-P said...

It's hard to lose them when you've put so much time and effort in. Sorry for your loss - T.

Jenny Holden said...

So sorry to her about Duncan, he was a special guy. Hope you find the right new chap.

Love your new pup. I had a good read of the website: what a fascinating breed! It will be interesting to see how he grows up.