Jill and her sheep

Jill catching a cat nap

yearling ewe lambs enjoying their day

In less than a year, I've acquired five livestock guardian dogs.  Jill arrived last May to protect the sheep and quickly made herself indispensable in protecting both the sheep and all the poultry on the ranch.  As I leased more pasture land for grazing my sheep, I added three more adult dogs to protect the sheep from predators, primarily coyotes.  And of course, the latest addition, my Akbash puppy, Nia.  The dogs are fearless in their natures — willing to defend the sheep against coyotes or mountain lions.  As the sun begins to set, their "work day" begins as they work throughout the night and nap during the day.  Their loyalty, service and courage are always astounding to me.

Jack

I like to say "we all work for Jack" (aka el Jefe).  He manages to keep track of every-thing on the farm and is always the first to let me know when something is amiss, such as the sheep have managed to burst through a fence and into the wrong pasture. He also seems to enjoy buzzing past the chickens, watching them squawk and flap in indignation.  Now that spring is here, the ewes and lambs spend their days on the hillside pastures.  Jack runs the perimeter of the hillsides at the close of every day to help bring the sheep down to a pasture close to the house.  This keeps the lambs safe from coyotes at night.