Not For The Squeamish or Animals Rights Activists...

For those of you who have farm animals you know farm dogs are an intregral and essential part of the operation.  We have a fine team of farm dogs quite a mix in fact.  We have two Border Collies and four mixes that each have their own talent and work together as a team.

Lil our short-haired Border Collie is the jump in and finish it lady.  TP is the alerter, Ki and Junior are the finders and seekers, Maggie our other Border is the all around dog.  Lil, Maggie and Squiggie herd, kill snakes and varmits.  The young ones are learning.

 The three little ones are after a mole here.  They keep the yard and garden free of them.

TP treed this bad boy

 in the corner of the chicken house.

Lil took him out and shook...

and really took him out!

The Hot Peppers learn by watching...

and Lil says, You ain't getting my 'possum!

Good Farm Dogs!!!!!



Something Said, Take The Camera...

but did I listen?  Nooooooooooo and I regretted it.  The dogs were barking, Ki, Junior and Squiggie were baying, barking, singing a wild dog song.   Knowing my dog's barks I heard, "Danger!"

As I approached the Borders joined the melee. Rarely vocal, the Borders assessed the situation quickly.  With a simple no nonsense motion, Lil stepped in, silently, swiftly removed the snake, ending the canine chorus with one deadly shake.  Ki and Squiggs jumped in for their piece...of the Copperhead.  Within fifteen seconds of my arrival, the poisonous snake lay in pieces so  scattered I couldn't determine the original size.  All that mattered was one less poisonous snake.

During Junior's first poisonous snake encounter he acted safely and cautiously while trying to remove the snake from between the rock and the fence post.  The three from the small team darted in, grabbed and retreated.  Then came Lil, Big Bad Lil, never one to waste a motion, she quickly extracted and executed the snake in one whiplash move.

Ki, foaming at the mouth, from the terrible taste of a poison snake, dropped her piece but gained another during the farm dog dance of success.  The barking had ended.   The words, Good Dogs, were spoken generously.

I returned to the house, proud of my little pack of farm dogs, doing their job well...and still kicking myself for having no camera!

Watch Out, Pat! A Marcy Adventure...

 WARNING FOR PAT!  


Marcy heard Squiggie barking as she was bringing mail to my house.  Knowing the bark, Marcy detoured to check.  This what is she found in my rock garden.

These are not National Geographic pictures,

but imagine finding this,

trying to decide how to kill it

while taking pictures!

She did all this for you!

Marcy said,  I have pictures for your blog!

She had to kill it with a square shovel,

in between rocks.

Not an easy job!

Lil was not around at the moment,

and she's the snake killer,

every one else is learning.

Marcy...one. 

Snake...zero!

The dogs were very proud of their warning system.

Squiggie on the far left was the discoverer.

Ki-Anne got bitten

and looks like she has a waddle

instead of a neck.

She will be fine and has learned a valuable lesson.

Lil finally showed up,

gave the snake a death shake

and was satisfied with Marcy's work.

Thanks, Marcy, for killing the snake in my yard

and for the great photos!

A Doggie Tail

Gypsy and Maggie are out of there!
Hey, guys, there is something is this hole.

This hole??

Are you sure its not over here? I smell it!

Squiggie checks it out.

Diamond Lil, Border Collie, swimmer

Lil, Border Collie, acrobat

Maggie Mae and Gypsy discussing the smell of a raccoon

Gypsy Rose Lee, The Border Hound, going to join the search.

Gypsy says, I know it came this way!