Peteyfoozer’s Journey (because journaling’s not enough)

[Ridgetop]

They never barked. They just watched him, which made me curious because they are vocal dogs.

My friend Erick told me that Anatolians (and possibly other LGD breeds) only bark as a warning. If the predator ignores the warning they don't waste their effort barking, they will just try to kill it. Probably why your LGDs didn't bark. Why bark at the cat - they coud already see it wasn't scared by barking. They were probably saving their energy for the confrontation.

Unlike dogs, wild predators will not willing engage in a fight with serious LGDs, unless they are starving. Wild predators know that any injury can result in death for them - either infection, unable to hunt and so starve, etc. Usually barking by LGDs will keep the predator out, but if it ignores their warnings and comes in you won't hear a sound from your LGDs. Maybe shrieks of pain from the predator but often just a dead predator in the morning.

We have White Dorpers. We like their calm temperaments. A friend who raised black headed Dorpers for over 20 years said the black headed Dorpers were wild and crazy. In your situation, if you have a lot of open acreage with a lot of predators, the black head Dorpers being wilder and spookier may work better for you.

 

[peteyfoozer]

Well that makes sense about the LGDs.
The Dorpers I used to have were very sweet. Must depend on the lines, or maybe cuz not all mine were purebreds

Bruno and Madge were especially good friends. Mr Potamus hung out with the rest of them

 

[SageHill]

The reason I like Dorpers is they are sensible. I didn't know about the white ones until last year. I'd only seen the black headed ones for probably ~10 yrs at the herding trials.

 

[peteyfoozer]

I intensely disliked sheep because they are so dumb, but when I got my little Dorpers and Dorper X I fell in love. They were so easy to live with!

 

[Baymule]

I started with 4 bred ewes, Dorper and Katahdin mixes. I got a black head Dorper ram. All he wanted to do was run me down, my little granddaughters were not safe. @Mike CHS had Ringo, registered Katahdin ram, that was dog gentle and sweet. I wait he a year for Ringo, then we drove to Tennessee to get him, with BJ griping, complaining and b!tching all the way. Then he met Ringo and understood why I wanted him so bad. Ringo switched me to Katahdins. My little granddaughters could hug him, pet him, scratch him and give him treats. I have daughters of Ringo and managed to get one registered ram from him. I love the colors too!

 

[peteyfoozer]

My ram was awesome. He never bothered us and was very aloof, which worked for me, but like a dipstick, I sold him and got an expensive purebred ram, had to temporarily move my sheep to a friends where coyotes slaughtered my expensive 2 yr old ram so I wound up with a cheap bottle ram who was an a$$hole so he went in freezer and I traded my ewes for herding lessons for Heath as TheMan didn’t think the boss would let me bring my girls back home

 

[peteyfoozer]

Going down memory lane. I remember when I got my first Jersey cow. (Not my first milkcow, just my first Jersey) she was the sweetest thing. She came from a dairy because she wasn’t a big producer. She was bred and not far out from calving so I was tickled to get her. It was right about the time my RA started really manifesting itself, so I had to get a belly milker. She had a twisted face and used to loll her tongue and when it was time to be milked, she would race down the dirt road to the big barn, her bag swinging back and forth, squirting and her crooked little legs paddling..the cowboys would just crack up. What a personality she had!
My sweet DollyMoo

 

[Baymule]

I love her face! What a sweetheart she must have been!

 

[peteyfoozer]

Anyway, prior to my being allowed to use the stall in the barn, and getting the belly milker I had to hand milk her. Finding a bucket or something to sit on was an issue because she didn’t hold still. She swayed back and forth, side to side, whatever it took to be out of reach and keep me off balance. Then one day I saw an ad for the perfect answer! A one legged milking stool. I should be able to sway with her, as the stool straps to your ass by way of a belt. Sounds great, right? I could just waltz out with mt bucket, wipe her down, plop myseld down and milk her.
I ordered it. It was heavier than I anticipated. Quality!
I had to park it on the kitchen table and back up to it to strap it on. Done. Out the back door with my bucket, my cloth, and nope. Can’t turn around to close the door because there is a wall there. Walk to end of porch, set down bucket, turn around, walk back and close door, pick up stuff and head to corral. Same routine at gate. Tie Dolly up and prepare to be amazed ! I was. It had rained a bit the week before and the ground was still a bit soft. I went to squat down and planted myself firmly in the soil about 3/4 the length of that chair leg. Which was strapped to my ass. Buried. Stuck. Like a sapling. Took forever to work myself out of there. Meanwhile Dolly danced while I cussed whoever invented that stupid milking stool.

 

[peteyfoozer]

I love her face! What a sweetheart she must have been!

She was a really sweet cow. She let any leppie who wanted, up to the milkbar. Super mama