Farm Fresh Blog

Until yesterday this calf didn't know a life without cold mud except inside her mother's womb.

I felt so bad for her because she was born a night before a front brought three inches of cold rain, and left 6 inches of cold mud. Since this was all she knew, the calf navigated the mud like a snowboarding teenager.

These pictures were taken days ago, before she plumped up, but it wasn't until yesterday that she felt the warm kiss of the sun on her back. And today, after a second day of sunshine, she really bloomed. I had moved the cattle to a drier pasture and she was enjoying the thrill of galloping across dry ground. (Relatively dry ground. Well, not really, but compared to 6 inches of mud, it was dry ground!)

I named the calf, Radio. Other Half doesn't bother, but I name all the calves that stand out for some reason. Radio stands out for me because her mother is Delta the Flying Cow. Since Radio is almost solid red, and her mother is the Flying Cow, I named her after the little red wagon, the Radio Flyer.

Yes, my mind takes strange and convoluted paths to a particular destination. Yes, I know it's a stupid name, but come on, she's a cow - it's not like she's gonna answer to it. And you're talking to a person who has a sheep named Flower Pot because she got a pot stuck on her head, and another sheep named Chuck because she got "stuck like chuck" under a truck. Names help me remember their stories.

So her name will be Radio, daughter of Delta the Flying Cow who jumped out of a fancy auction arena.

Delta is proving to be a most attentive mother - really attentive - really, really, really dangerously attentive.

Delta is a Braford, a breed whose roots go back to the meaty Hereford and the wily Brahma. (Hereford: Big red meat cattle with white faces. Brahma: hardy, long-eared Indian cattle who jump fences, good mothers/very smart/can be trouble)

I think the Braford combines the best of these breeds, and Delta is a perfect example. Despite the fact that she jumped out the arena during the auction, she's never given us a bit of trouble. She is smart and perfectly reasonable around the farm. She gave birth to a big calf with no assistance in the delivery. Read: Will You Help Me Flip A Cow?

Because she got cast in the round bale of hay, she was immobilized when her calf stood up and wandered around the pasture. She was smart enough to know I was trying to help her when I put ropes on her legs and flipped her. She didn't kick me. (I really appreciate that. Score another one for Delta.) And as soon as she struggled to her feet, she limped off to claim the calf she knew was hers.

Since that night she has kept a careful eye on Radio. And so it was that I was in the pasture this afternoon filling up water troughs while Briar puttered around the barnyard. I was vaguely aware that Radio was motoring around the back pasture. Briar was sniffing around the arena, and I was deep in a phone conversation.

It wasn't until my eye landed on Delta trotting in from the back pasture like a war horse that I even took much notice of Radio, but I followed Delta's suspicious glare straight to Radio, who was standing beside Briar.

Oh. Shit.

Seriously.

Double shit.

Briar was in her own little world, completely oblivious to the fact that a cute bear cub was standing behind her and an enraged grizzly was charging their direction.

I called to Briar. She flicked an ear but continued her olfactory inventory of the arena. I glanced back at Delta. She was covering ground fast and was about to turn Briar into a white greasy spot in the pasture. This was serious shit, and Briar was having a Pyrenees moment.

I screamed at her. The cow was trotting faster. Briar still ignored me.

 "La dee daaa, la dee daaaa."

She finally looked at me just as Delta entered the back of the arena. I pleaded with her to hurry.

"This is serious shit, Briar. Come! I mean NOW! Really, really NOW!"

 "Now? Like now, at this moment in time? Or now, as in this week? Now is such a relative term, don't you think? Have you studied Einstein's Theory Of Relativity? Space and time should really be considered together and in relation to each other."

By this time Briar had decided to amble toward me to further discuss Einstein and was trying to find a way to get through the boards. Delta was gaining ground fast. Briar was oblivious to the Volkswagon Bus intent on killing her. It wasn't looking good, but just as the dog slid between the boards, Radio lost interest and turned back to greet her mother. Delta slid to a halt and shook her fist at Briar's furry butt, which was then on the other side of the fence, wiggling in my direction.

I think I need to call my hair dresser and color the new gray hairs which turned today and I think I have a stomach ulcer.

Until Radio gets some age on her, Briar has been banished from the pasture. The sheep will just have to count on Delta to protect them. Something tells me they'll be just fine. And Delta has proven that when her calf is ready to be weaned, she can be moved to the ranch up north to have her next baby. I would not want to be a coyote caught trying to steal Delta's baby.

So yes, maybe Delta has a wee bit more Brahma in her, and Brahma cattle do jump over fences, but no one, no one, NO ONE, messes with their calves.

 "What are you looking at?!"

Mesa is a Border Collie, a young Jedi warrior, eager to hang out with other members of her race.

The problem is -

they don't want anything to do with her.

I juggle the time she spends with the other dogs carefully. It is a delicate balance. A steady diet of Dillon and she would become a monster. Too much time with The Mean Dogs and she could end up with a serious self-esteem problem, or hurt. They can only handle about 3 minutes of her company. It's nothing personal. They hate everyone - even each other.

She has all the moves. She grovels. She gives them space. She just wants to be near their Border Collie Greatness. And for all her efforts, she gets nothing.

  "I wouldn't care if you died now."

 "I can help you die now."

 "If I don't look at you, maybe you'll die."

 "Go play in street, Worm."

 Eventually their attitude sinks in and she settles down in the mud to wonder why they hate her. I remind her there is a reason why we call them "The Mean Dogs."

Mesa gets to practice her social skills, be told "I hate you. I hope you die," and then accept their scorn with quiet dignity. She still hopes they'll accept her at their lunch table so she can be part of the cool kids in school - but until then, there's always Dillon, who genuinely enjoys her company - but must be reminded not to poke sticks in her face.

There many skills a well-rounded pup must master.

  Climbing stairs

 Drinking out of the water trough

 And to see her through all these lessons is her BFF - Best Friend Forever, Dillon.  The eternal child, he is happy to play with Mesa. In fact, she's the neatest toy he's ever had.

 But their play must be monitored closely. Dillon is a big fan of any stick he can find in the yard. Dillon defines stick as anything ranging from the size of a twig to a log. I do not want him playing with sticks around her. Sticks are dangerous.

  This is not on the approved toy list.

 "NO!"

 Despite her size, Mesa the Mogwai thinks nothing of stealing a stick from him.

 Strong-arm robbery

And good-natured beast that he is, Dillon lets her get away with it.  He bows to her size and her temper. That is the recipe for making a monster. Fortunately there are other members of the family who are more than ready to give Mesa a dose of reality.

 "Sister you better start dialing 911 now."

  Sneaky Snake

It's time to start training my dragon. This is actually not true. The dragon training began immediately whether I was ready or not. A puppy is a sponge, soaking up everything around her. You can choose to wait to start training until she's bigger, but then bad habits are already in place. At Mesa's age, we can shape the behaviors we wish to keep, and ignore behaviors that are undesirable, hoping to extinguish them. The only physical correction she gets is when she is attacking my ankle. I reached down and scruff her a bit, then I redirect her. I do not roughhouse with her. She is all teeth and if you want to see a mutation quickly, roughhouse with her.

A couple of days ago we began shaping behaviors with cheese. Right now all I want is a sit, and a touch my palm. Since my background is from schutzhund, agility, and flyball, I don't have a lot of trickdog skills in my basket, so I want to expand that with Mesa. That means hitting the books myself. I dabbled a bit with Lily and she learned how to gather the sheep, then run close the gate behind herself. Lily runs and grabs things I can't reach. She also learned to open the refrigerator and pick up a Dr Pepper can. (and puncture the can with her teeth) But for the most part, I didn't do the trick training with Lily that I wanted. (It's never too late!)

I didn't do any trick training with Trace. He quickly became Other Half's dog and neither of them had much interest in tricks. But like Lily, Mesa spends a great deal of her time seeking eye contact and attempting to interact with us. She is clever and already tries to manipulate her environment to attain her needs. When she's hungry, she runs to the kitchen, twirls her little butt in the air, plops down and stares at the kitchen sink. If that doesn't bring forth food, she barks at the sink. This alerts someone that her tummy is currently empty and she wishes it to be filled. She began this on her own. Now I ask her if she's hungry and she directs her stare at me instead of the sink, but she still twirls in the air and lands with drama.  I note her 'airs above ground behavior' as she jumps in the air, swings her body, and lands like a clumsy cat.

Beause she's a baby now, I'm not reinforcing that behavior as I don't want her to hurt herself, but in the future it can be a fun trick. I'm also considering teaching her to ring a bell on the door when she has to pee. I want to teach her to turn the lights on and off, and a multitude of other things that I see on Youtube. She is clever, and my schedule allows more time now.

So my question to you guys is this:

What is your favorite resource for trick training?

I love watching vidoes from Page and Nana, but I'd like to start following a forum or blog that talks about trick training dogs. Any ideas?

Happy New Year!

In our house 2015 is officially the year of the Mogwai!

Mogwai? What's that you ask?

Remember the movie, Gremlins?  Let me jog your memory:

An inventor wanders into a Chinatown antique store in search of a gift for his son and sees a Mogwai (Cantonese for Monster) which the owner refuses to sell because owning one is too great a responsibility. The owner's grandson ends up selling the cute little critter with these instructions:

1) never expose it to bright light (it will die)

2) never let it touch water (it will multiply)

3) never feed it after midnight (it changes from cute Mogwai into destructive beast)

 From this creature

 to this creature!

Thank you Steven Spielberg and Warner Brothers, you have just described life with a Border Collie puppy.

"You know you love it."

 Yes, I do.

 Raising a Mogwai Mesa is a great responsibility but what a happy way to start 2015.

Mesa knows she is a Border Collie, so despite the fact that Dillon and Ranger are nice to her, rather than be happy sitting with the nerdy kids in the cafeteria, Mesa wants to hang out with 'cool kids' - the border collies who barely tolerate her presence.

 Cowboy and Trace

Trace is aware that she wants to play with him. If he's in a good mood he races circles around the yard, impressing her with his speed and athletic prowess. For the most part however, he politely avoids her, like a movie star hiding from overeager fans and the paparazzi.

 When she catches him, he signs her autograph book and then hastens off to avoid her, leaving her starstruck in his wake.

Cowboy, aka "Snidley Whiplash" left me in stitches last night. She saw him and started to bounce his direction. He fanned his ears at her in what we describe as "elephant ears." This is seen as a threat display by every other member of the pack. It is the canine equivalent of shooting her the bird.  Mesa, ever the innocent awestruck fan, wiggled through his threat display and kissed him on the nose. He stared at her in disbelief for a moment as she smiled adoringly at him. I was reminded of Gru in "Despicable Me."

  And like Gru, he grimaced back a smile and let her follow him around the yard as he peed on tires.

 Although she doesn't appreciate him, hands down, the best babysitter is still Ranger. He enjoys her company and is more gentle than Dillon who sees her as the best toy he's ever had. Because she and Dillon play too rough and get overstimulated, I'm limiting their time together a bit more. Ranger gives her the patience and discipline she needs for her age.

Sadly though, she'd leave her Nanny-Dog in an instant to follow the cool kids around the playground,

 because she knows she is a Border Collie,

 and Trace is just sooooo cool!

Any deer that doesn't make it back to the North Pole with Santa is in danger because it's still open season in Texas, and someone just got her hunting license. I've never been a big fan of hunters taking trophy pictures with dead animals, but this was her first hunt, so here goes . . .

 Jaws with Paws!

 "Run, Run, Rudolph!"

Photos courtesy of $1.47 sale bin at Petsmart. Please ignore any and all dog hair on carpet not attached to a snarly beast.

This post is for all the folks who've written asking for puppy pictures - disgustingly cute sugar in the morning - not Sweet & Low, not saccharin, but full-bodied, all the calories - SUGAR!

 This picture so clearly illustrates the relationship between Lily and Mesa.  "Can't I even take a piss in peace?!"

Mesa adores Lily and follows her everywhere. As of yesterday The Great One soften her No Annoying Sidekick Puppies Rule and began playing with Mesa - at Mesa's expense. She is not actually playing with Mesa, she is toying with Mesa.

 "Want it? Huh? Want it? HAH! You can't have it! YOU'RE TOO SHORT! Short people suck! LOSER!"

Fortunately for Mesa's ego, there are other members of the family who see her as a contributing member of the family and not the butt of jokes.  Dillon adores her and has adopted the role of full-time babysitter.

  He is quite patient with her and although she gets hurt when their play gets too rough, he apologizes for stepping on her, slinging toys into her, and accidentally dumping her off the couch. When either of them gets too excited, I have to call time out.

She's a tough little booger, and always comes back for more though.

 Ranger thinks she's cute but has taken a back seat to Dillon as Primary Babysitter. Raising this much energy is a full-time job and I appreciate their help.

 She is young, younger than I really like to bring a puppy home, but she's doing fine and the rest of the pack helps with her social skills. Mesa adapts easily to everything. She has 4wheel drive and motors over strange surfaces with ease - concrete, tile, gravel, rock, boards, tin, carpet, and stairs. She isn't gun shy, but the train whistle in the distance does bother her.  Barking dogs in kennels do frighten her but she's beginning to realize the barking isn't directed at her. The sights and sounds of the barnyard don't faze her a bit. Because this is so important to her career, we just carry her around, not taking the chance that she'll get hurt or scared by the livestock.

Lessons she has learned thus far:

1) Sheep know you're a Border Collie even if you're tiny and being held. If you stare hard enough at them, they will move away because they are weakminded and The Force is strong in you.

2) Don't walk underneath male dogs who are peeing on a tractor tire.

  "Eeeeeewwww!"

Trying to add a new puppy during the holidays is a lesson in chaos. Although we weren't ready for a puppy yet, Lily's breeder had pups that were of her line and since his place was just an hour from our ranch in north Texas, we made the decision to pick up a pup when we were up there last week. We picked up two female pups and took them back to the ranch for the week. The other female was destined for a longhorn breeder in south Texas and she was hitching a ride with us. Her name is Jingle.

 I completely fell in love with this pup! I told the lady if she ever decides she doesn't want a Border Collie anymore, this puppy always has a home with us. I've got a feeling she isn't letting go of this little treasure.

 They spent the week wrestling with each other. I am really thankful for stained concrete floors. Yes, they're sandy at the moment, but accident clean-up is a breeze!

Jingle went to her new home on Christmas Eve, and I missed her immediately. Mesa seems to be doing just fine without her sister. We have a pack of dogs, so she has plenty of canine family members. Dillon the Labrador is her self-appointed babysitter.

Mesa went outside to do chores yesterday. She was happy to watch the world from my arms. Nothing bothered her.  This kid was born on a working cattle ranch. It's a cow feed lot with horses, cattle, and 18 wheeler trucks coming and going, so the sounds and smells of the barnyard are familiar.

The adult Border Collies are fine with her, and Dillon simply adores her. I keep her away from the patrol dog and Briar because they are so big and she's still pretty small. Right now she thinks she's 'king of the world' and I don't want to change her opinion of herself.   She may think she's a big bad cowdog, but she's still living life in a bubble.

 Protecting a baby Border Collie from herself is a full-time job!

As those of you on the farm Facebook page already know, #1 Ranch Dog got nailed in the face by a cow this week. Ouch! 

The reason she got kicked was because she just had to have the last word. She was moving cattle into a catch pen and after getting all the heifers in the pen, one cranky broad decided she was coming back out. Lily immediately moved in, bit her in the nose to turn her around, bit her in the heel to head her back into the pen, and for good measure, bit her again in the heel. That's the bite that got her kicked in the eye. The cow went on into the pen, and Lily wiped her eye with her foot and then got back to work. I freaked. It was a simple accident, but then, most accidents happen just that fast, that's why we call them accidents.

And she was fine.

But it highlighted two issues.

1) Lily was doing the work because Trace couldn't do it. Troll is fine for gathering cattle at a distance, but for pen work, you might as well get Lily because he doesn't see a point in it. He also doesn't have the balls to go 'one on one' with a cow that challenges him. He bullies sheep and goats to the point where he has been banned from working small stock, but when it comes to big stock, if a cow calls his bluff, Troll Dog backs off.

But Lily doesn't back off, and it's not a bluff. Challenge her authority and she will eat you, and enjoy doing it. She may not have the fancy moves of a trial dog, but she reads livestock, and she has an unfailing work ethic. Those two traits can take you pretty far on a farm.

2) That brings us to the second point. In essence, we only have one good working cow dog. We have a house full of dogs, but only one 100% reliable cow dog. Cowboy is too old to work now, and Trace is only good for distance work. Lily is having to shoulder all the responsibility for cow work. It slowly dawned on me that although Lily is five years old, in her prime really, it's time to start a puppy to help shoulder the work responsibility later.

EeeeeeK!  We already have too damned many dogs! My mind simply reeled at the idea of adding another. I did a quick inventory:

Lily - #1 Ranch Dog
Briar - Livestock Guardian Dog -head of Ranch Security
Trace - Troll Dog/ Displastic, lame 50% of the time
Cowboy - Rescued Border Collie/bad back - no longer able to do much but ride in the truck
Dillon - hunting dog who doesn't hunt because husband has no time to hunt
Ranger - blue heeler/failed cowdog who doesn't work but is good for ranch security
Aja - police dog/doesn't work cattle

The inventory results revealed what I already knew. We have too many dogs, but not enough working cow dogs. So I begin to mull over the idea of another cowdog.

Finding Border Collies is easy. Rescues are full of homeless Border Collie. These are very nice dogs that need a family and will make the perfect pet. But I don't need another pet, I need a ranch dog - a very specific kind of ranch dog - the kind that can work cattle. That gene pool is much smaller - much, much smaller.

A good friend of mine just raised two litters of working dog pups. Nice pups. Really nice pups. I resisted. I wasn't ready for another dog. I wavered, but resisted.

And then one day, Thanksgiving Day to be exact, I saw Lily's breeder on Facebook. I scanned his page with feigned casual interest. After all, I wasn't looking for another dog this soon. I sent him current pictures of Lily so he could see how well she turned out.

This proved to be my un-doing, as he had another litter of puppies now. Oh crap! I wasn't ready for another puppy right now! But it was related to Lily, my #1 Ranch Dog. She's sound, she's sane, she works. He sent pictures.

I'm on my way up this weekend.

I have promised myself that the pups must test as well as Lily did at that age or I'll just wait. Another rancher that lives nearby has noticed how handy Lily is around the farm, and wants a puppy from that line too, so if all goes well I will be returning with two puppies. We shall see.

Perhaps Lily will soon have an apprentice.

 "Oh yee haa"