First of all, sorry that Panama’s whinny startled so many of you! He’s such a Lonesome Charlie and sometimes it irritates me, but to find out he scared people, dogs, and kittens… well, it was slightly humorous on my end! I will try to remember a warning on the next video he “announces”…
Linda W wrote: Question – are you going to have calendars for 2012? I have so enjoyed mine all of this year.
YES! I asked for input just in the last week or so… so if you have a favorite picture you’d like to see in the 2012 calendar, just leave it in the comment section! I’ve pulled together some photos, but I have a little more to sift through before I make my final choices.
Robin wrote: LOVED the video and LOVED the whinny and wondered if he was calling to the other horses and why no one answered back? My questions–where is my beloved Boomer? Have I missed where he went???? I miss his antics!!!
Robin, look at the video again, Boomer’s there in glimpses, usually behind Daniel’s horse. Dally, of course, has the big white collar, but the little all-black Boomer is there too. Being with Daniel and not around my dogs is good for him, but that means he’s not around to be in my photos a lot of the time. He is very sore from the trip down the mountain… I think age is starting to creep up on him. When he’s feeling good, believe me, his “antics” are in full swing! About Panama’s whinny, yes, he was worried where the other horses were… they are not so worried that they have to answer back…
Lynn wrote: Hope this is a new question (actually multiple questions). What do you feed your dogs? Do you brush them regularly and with what? Thanks!
Right now, I’m feeding Loyall dog food, bought at my local co-op. (The Official Dogfood of RFD-TV… but I was feeding it before THAT happened!) I’m ready to start feeding a raw diet… with hunting season upon us, I need to stock up and get the girls on that. I can’t feed Lucas very much raw food as his wrecked pelvis has affected his digestion… and too much stringy meat can plug him up quickly. Too much information? Oh, yeah, brushing. Actually I brush them whenever “I” need to veg out and relax. I love it. They love it. Win. Win. Sometimes I’ll use the Furminator on them, but most of the time it is just a heavy metal comb (probably made for manes originally!) It works great.
Redwood wrote: Great video, and I think trailing cows quietly is like a piece of art. And, oh my, the beauty of the land… Q: I’m intrigued by the first picture and would love for you to tell its “story” – did you call the horses and they are waiting to be saddled, or were they on their way to greener grass, or… is there no story because they just happened to be standing around on the road? Also, have you found the remedy to heal the open sore on Lucas’ paw?
Thanks for the compliment on the video! Alas, the horses were just THERE on the road… and I prefer to have something in the foreground of my pics if I can… so they posed for me! What I *should* do is have *you* write a story (based on what you’ve learned by reading this blog) that would explain that photo! Anyone up for a creative writing class based on that photo? About Lucas’ paw… I’m trying some tea tree oil salve right now, and almost ordered some stuff from a Border Collie catalog (until shipping and taxes added up to $16 for 4 ounces!) I think I’ll have a friend just pick some up for me… oh, yeah, Sally, uh, could you email me?
Suzanne wrote: My husband wants to know where you get the beef you serve on your table. (I think I know, but I’m not telling ) I want to know what you do with your horses in the winter. Do they feed with the cattle? Love the Precious One, Two & Three Pics.
Suzanne, we raise our own “beef”… maybe a steer with a broken foot, or a little steer that we held back from the sale, or like this winter we held out what we thought was an “open” heifer. Johnny faithfully grained her everyday and then as she was just about ready… he noticed she was making a bag. Sure enough, she turned out pregnant! We let her have her Charolais calf (from the neighbor’s bull) and then we sold them as a pair. They were worth more that way… but that meant we had no beef! Our horses? They are free to roam the pasture around our houses… when we start feeding cattle, we have a spot or two we pitch them some hay as well. It is not alongside the cattle. It’s hard to catch a horse when he can play ring around the rosy with a hundred head of cows!
Allison Ward wrote: My question for the Q&A Why did you decide to keep Dally out of all the pups in that litter? How did you know you wanted to breed her? Are you happy so far with the outcome of her litter? (we are just want your opinion!)
Allison, I knew I wanted a pup from Lucas’ first litter… and I really thought I’d keep a sable male. As they grew and developed their personalities, I fell in love with a sable male and Dally. They both were nice solid looking pups, not on the slight side (Dally had one sister that grew up to be 35 lbs.!) Dally, of all the females, had the head that resembled Lucas’ (though another sister grew up to look EXACTLY like Lucas which surprised me!) I’m attracted to that look… Dally was curious, out-going, and really, a lovable pup. After great debate, I decided I would keep Dally, hoping that she could get along with her mom easier than another male would get along with Lucas. After 3 litters, I spayed Elsa… almost everyone who had one of the Lucas/Elsa pups just LOVED them… and I was encouraged to keep this line going. I like Dally and how she works for me, not that we couldn’t improve! But she’s maturing and settling in… she might have been better off without her domineering mother, but that’s life! Her weaknesses I wanted to balance with the right male… a bit more aggression and lack of fear, less bark, great work ethic. I think I found it in Hustler. Partlow blood mixed with my Peaslee/Butcher lines look like they’re making for great pups. I’ve heard stories from other puppy owners that their pups are looking to work already… though it is still too early, I think! Don’t worry if Emma is still on the shy side… she’ll come out of her shell in her own time!
Sandy wrote: Q: How did Quinlan get his name?
As far as I know, Quinlan just jumped off the list of boys’ names… it variously means well-formed, athletic, good-looking like his father… (unless Brandon made that one up!) If I’m wrong, I’m sure Brandon or Megan will correct me here…
Alice wrote: What’s 1 thing you learned from the dog clinic you went to?
The top thing? To make sure your leash is high quality… sorry, inside joke! There were lots of little things… Dave Viklund spoke to me in ways I could understand, applying it to cattle instead of just sheep (foreign creatures that they are) and I found out he believes in Bud Williams’ Low Stress handling too. Putting the sheep in the bigger pen rather than in the small pen, really helped Dally, I think. She was much calmer and not as stressed as she was in her first clinic, (of course, she’s older too). I think playing with the numbers of stock and size of pen would help her tremendously. She needs a balance of a group she can move without either stress or too much excitement… just to figure out the ropes. Without our own flock, though… she’s out of luck!
Judy wrote: Question… Would like to know how the new family is doing and is your son doing more schooling etc?…I think I missed the part as to why they are not close by….