lifeatghf

Back in 2000, we were planning on moving from our wonderful home in a
suburb of Chicago to a 20 acre farm another 30 miles west of O’Hare
Airport. While still maintaining a proximity to all things urban, we longed for
the peace and tranquility of farmland. A year went by in planning with
architects and builders and during that time, we also widely investigated
guardian type dog breeds. Certain things were not as important as
previously thought, such as would the dog bark….we would have very few
neighbors and the closest one is almost 1/2 mile away, so barking was not as
critical as when we lived in closer quarters in the suburbs. Shedding was
also not as much of an issue and we had planned on a nice dog room with a
built-in tub, perfect for grooming and daily brushings.

  The most important consideration in choosing another dog would be temperament and ability to offer
personal guardian protection if needed. I looked at Belgian Malinois, Dobermans, Rottweilers and
Anatolians. All of these breeds are marvelous and I met some wonderful people in my pursuit of the ‘breed
for me.’ Ultimately I can to understand the livestock guardian dog mentality and what it could afford me.
And I met a group of people who owned these big white dogs, the Polish Tatra Sheepdog. Having owned many
dogs prior to this, I felt confidant in my abilities to handle a large dog but I had never been around working
dogs before. I have owned greyhounds, poodles, mixed breeds and some German Shorthaired Pointers,
along with one very large Irish Setter when I was young. But I needed to start thinking in terms of
independent thinkers, strong willed temperaments and dogs needing a job to do.
  The thing that tipped the scales for Tatras was that everywhere I read, and with those I spoke to, the
Tatra was a breed that was generally not dog-dog aggressive.   Many of the traits for LGDs are similar, but
in this regard, you will often find a wide range of descriptions. I wanted a dog that would, if given proper
guidance, be responsible around other dogs.

Quincy was the first Tatra I have owned. He was bought from a
reputable breeder in Austria that club members had been in contact with.
He arrived a very large bundle of white fur and became my constant
shadow, by design. Quincy's the one on the left, lying in peaceful slumber. I
spent countless hours working with this puppy, from your standard puppy
classes, to intermediate obedience classes and even clicker classes. He
responded to me and the time I put in better than any other dog I have
ever owned. We excelled as a team and I was, and still am, very proud of
our wonderful bond. Quincy turned out to be a handsome dog, something to
consider using for future breeding stock here in the United States. So I
did not neuter him.

A year later, I was interested in getting a female puppy. Again,
connections put me in touch with a breeder from Poland and Grace
arrived at O’Hare, waiting to share her life with her new found friends.
After her first few visits to the vet, it was discovered that Grace
exhibits PPM, persistent pupillary membranes, in her eyes. (go to www.
vmdb.org/cerft.html to read about this condition). While the condition is
not always hereditary and certainly not known to be prevalent in this
breed at all, nor was her degree of this extreme, causing any blindness,
the best choice I could make was to have her spayed at an early age.
An interesting part of Gracie’s life is she showed strong resource
guarding in the very first week after she arrived here. Growling at me
during dinner time was not to be tolerated. Carol Wood put me on the
fast track in working through this with a very long process heralded by
Pat Miller, the behaviorist. It involves spending weeks and weeks
recondition-ing the dog to understand that all good things come from your
hand, the owner. Little by little, the behavior changed and it took a lot
of time devoted to feeding kibble by kibble piece, in slowly breaking
down the wrong behavior patterns. This time put in caused me to develop
a much greater bond with this little girl than I had anticipated.

  Move ahead another year and we’re spending a lot of quality time with the white dogs but all as
household pets. A few months after the age of 2, Quincy began marking in the house. And it went from a
few lifts of the leg here and there after another dog had been visiting to marking chairs and walls when
new people were visiting. It became a problem. And the solution was not what I wanted to hear….give
him a job to do and try to make it one that he was born to do….give him some livestock and put him
outside. I had never done that with a dog before. It had not occurred to me that this would be a
solution. Yet it was staring me in the face and something I had to move on.
   A few weeks and phone calls later, I was the proud owner of two pygmy goat kids from a local
amusement park petting zoo, Lucy and Ethel. They were the greatest and it soon became obvious how
much they loved Quincy and were loved by him. As long as they were around their protector, they were
positively gleeful, but if you removed Quincy from the barn yard, they went crazy and easily jumped the
4 1/2 ft. fence.
   The goats were great fun, for a while. Many pygmy goats are dehorned when they are young; mine were
not. And being the novice at all this, I did not realize how problematic this would become down the road.
Any other animal brought into the picture would be pushed aside and chased after by these two little
girls, wanting their own ways. It was not so critical until the time came for a few of Shetland sheep to
arrive at our farm. The goats would not tolerate them and their horns could easily rip apart flesh. So
instead of the quiet, calm setting I thought I would have, I would often find them fighting over just
about anything, but mainly Quincy. Two miniature horses were next to join the menagerie and again, the
goats were troublesome. I could not have these two little creatures dictating placement and movement
of all animals here, so we found another home for them.
   During this time, Gracie was living in the house and dog yard and Quincy was living in the barn and
surrounding yard with the sheep and horses. It was nice but almost a wannabe farm setting.

  Then came a big challenge. Could we winter over a flock of 16 large sheep, for one season, and keep
them through lambing time? We had never even considered such a thing, but we had the land and fenced
pasture and there was a need from a friend of ours in the dog club. So we jumped in, feet first,
literally, to living with sheep and another livestock guardian dog coming with for good measure. Brandy
had been living with sheep and needed no training nor guidance in her assigned duties. The sheep were
coming from a few different sources and joining up at our place for the first time. Along with all that
was a 4 month old puppy of Brandy’s that would be payment for our effort. Her name is Gosia.
  That was the most fascinating experience, watching the dogs and sheep interact and learning what it
took to feed and live with a flock of sheep. We had been living with a couple of Shetland wethers. They
were calm fellows who really didn’t take much effort at all to own. A little hay, fresh water and that
was about it. But having so many more sheep, and large ones to boot, well that was something we had to
learn about quickly.
  We had never intended to have so many sheep out in the front pasture, so when it came time to roll in
the large bales of hay, there was only one way to do it and the gates going into that pasture were not
convenient. Remember, we were novices. So the huge rolls were cumbersome and it took a few of us to
roll them through one gate and then another small enclosure, up a bit of an incline and into the spot for
eating. Ice and snow made for some interesting times.

At one point, the previous owner of some of the sheep
discovered that ewes from the same flock were now
lambing early and warned us that those purchased could
be doing likewise. So now with zero degrees outside and
in the dark of night, my husband and I are out in the
front pasture, looking like fools, trying to capture the
4-6 ewes in question. We were falling on the ice,
pathetic in our attempts and yet hours later, we did get
those ewes into the barn and separated. It was only a
few days and we began lambing in the bitter cold of
February in makeshift jugs. We did a commendable job,
but a few of those first lambs were lost due to the
freezing cold.

Farm & Fleet now became one of my favorite stores to shop
and I could spend hours just looking at their animal section, not
to mention at the great bargains you can find there. Overalls,
boots, it’s a great place. I even began asking for Gift
Certificates from there for birthdays and Christmas!
Brandy was bred to Quincy that January and in late March, I
whelped my first litter of puppies, 9 in all. Lambs were still
coming, spring was far away weatherwise as the frigid cold
brought us indoors for the whelping. We had set up a wonderful
space in the barn, knowing Brandy would be more relaxed out
with her sheep, but the freezing temperatures made that an
unsafe choice. Back in the dog room, she gave birth and with
great notes and expert advice only a cell phone call away, it went
smoothly and was a joy.

So in 2006 we had Quincy with some of the sheep. Gracie is out
with him too, because she really missed living with Quincy and had
done well once she was put in with sheep when she was 2. Gosia
was a young dog, about 6 months old at the time of this new litter.
She is now 18 months. Brandy would stay here through May, when
the sheep all went to their permanent home and 6 of the puppies
with their mom. Two puppies stayed here, Cubby and Gunia. Cubby
is now my housedog, and Gunia was left outside to live with my
sheep and with Gosia in the barn. We also own a beagle/hound mix
by the name of Ginia (short for Virginia) who is a house dog. We
sold Gunia (name changed to Junia) at Christmas time to a family
who owns alpacas and sheep in the state of Washington. It was a
wonderful choice for her as she had tested out extremely well
during the puppy temperament and flock testing procedures done
at age 7 weeks.
In late 2005, one of the club members was reducing her kennel
due to health reasons and so we purchased her one female named
Gabi and she arrived in early spring of 2006. Gabi is an import
from Poland and in March we had a litter from her, bred to Quincy.

    During the summer of 2006, I purchased my own mini flock
of Shetland Sheep from a breeder nearby and last fall,
purchased a wonderful gulmoget ram that we used for
breeding. Lambs arrived in late April. We also kept one of
the bottle fed lambs from last year, Lorry Lammy Poo, and
she is best friends with a Barbados ewe lamb that I picked up
from a nearby farm. Her name is Bette Davis.
  We’ve gone from a house with a few dogs to a working farm
with sheep and dogs doing what they have been bred to do for
generations and that is keep watch over their flock. I keep
asking questions about “how to’s” and have found this to be a
most enjoyable way to live. I have a curiosity for spinning and
may take that up soon.   We even bought a used RV last year
so we can more easily participate in some sheep and wool
festivals and bring the dogs. I never would have guessed that
a girl born in Chicago and raised in the city, moved to the
suburbs and lived the typical life there could be so
comfortable and at ease in this rural lifestyle. I always
wanted to work with animals but never thought it would be in
this manner. It truly is the best of both worlds!

March 2008 Update
  At this time, we currently have 7 Polish Tatras, 1 beagle
mix and 13 Shetland sheep, plus one Barbados sheep. We just
placed 2 of our beloved Tatras in a home in Oregon and they
will soon become ‘therapy’ dogs, working with a substance
abuse counselor and his wife. Buddy and Cubby should lead a
wonderful life and offer their special, gentle natures in
helping mankind. Buddy’s sister Bella, is almost one year old
and we’re waiting on her to see how well her hips look. Quincy,
my big boy has been neutered and moved back into the house.
He enjoyed playing with the sheep too much and we also feel
that some hip issues with the last litter were due to him. He
is now back where he started, being my constant companion.

We now live with Paczka, a 7 year old female whose family moved to Europe and could not take her
with. She has adjusted well in our pack. Gabi is still our breeding female and we are anticipating
breeding her late this spring, to a great working dog, Koci, up in MN. We have a very young Tatra mix
(Kluska) living out with the ewes, being tutored by Brandy, a Tatra/Maremma mix on loan from a good
friend. Gracie still lives out in the front pasture with the boy sheep. She has turned into a fine guard
dog. And then there's Gosia, who seemed so promising early on but had taken to playing too rough with
the sheep and is no longer trustworthy around them. Gosia needed a good home on a farm where she can
be with larger animals perhaps but maybe just as an all-around farm dog. She is incredibly sweet to
people but she’s very large and muscular and a bit too dominant for many dogs. Gosia has moved on to a
larger farm with many larger sheep and perhaps she may stay there, perhaps she might re-locate to
Idaho.