An Explosion of Playfulness Yesterday Evening

We were in town most of the day yesterday so the animals were not able to free range as they are accustomed to.  Shortly after we arrived home and were settling in we noticed a running frenzy in the backyard.  It was the goats, sheep, and dogs all playing and running all over the place!  We couldn't believe our eyes.  We had never seen them doing this before.  They were having a blast!


I finally thought to get the camera to record it and half of them decided they were done playing.  I still got some fun footage.  Even my three legged Barbado Sheep "Momma"  was playing.

This is the best kinds of entertainment.  We are simple and we are easy.  Life is good.

I Don't Know What to Do

To understand this post you will first need to read Buttercup Our Pyrenees.  I just simply don't have the heart to go all into it myself as this has been a very long story and I am really starting to greatly dislike my neighbors across the street.  I will take it from where it stops.


Continuation of the Story


Buttercup as well as her sister Opal have been contained to the backyard for a week today.  Since this time our neighbor has put up a game camera which came up missing although it was later found in their backyard.  They have put out traps with dog food without any success.  They are down to 4 geese.  Also let me note that during the time of all the killings Buttercup was sick and contained in the backyard until she felt better.

Their dogs still run free while mine are kept up.  I called down the day after he came up to apologize for "over reacting" to insure that they would not shoot my dog if I let her out to protect my goats, chickens, ducks, and guineas while they free ranged.  I let them know that we had full intentions of putting the dog up at night as that was when the fowl were being killed.  The wife stated that I could do what ever I needed so long as I kept my dog from coming down to their place.  I told her that I could not keep my dog from coming down and visiting her dog no more than she could keep her dog from coming up here.  (That was my way of hinting that if you shoot my dog then I can shoot yours too.)  She said they were doing everything they could to keep their dog at home and would continue.  Of course they are. [apply sarcasm]  That is why they asked me months ago to chase her back home if I saw her up here since they did not want her crossing the road.  I do chase her off when she comes up here because we have caught her chasing our fowl and I don't trust her around them.  Yes, I have told them about that since this incident.  They stated that their dog also chases their fowl into the water.  Hum, and you don't think there could be a problem there?


Harriet got a good look at the the fowl that the neighbor found Buttercup with.  He never saw her chewing on the carcass.  He simply saw her picking it up and putting it down.  By the time I went to see the carcass it was missing.  I believe the neighbor's dog came and picked it up because that is her spot on our property where she knows I won't chase her off because it is far enough and almost off the property.  Anyway what Harriet noticed regarding the carcass was the head, neck and crop were missing.  After much research we know this to be signs of racoons.  It is also common for racoons to kill multiple birds in one night as they sometimes hunt in family groups.  

We have given this information to the neighbors and they feel it just can't be racoons.  "We have always had racoons."  "Racoons can't take down more than one bird."  They simply will not listen.  I feel like beating my head against a wall when it comes to this issue.


Another neighbor (neighbor B) had a great suggestion.  To call them and nicely let them know whenever their dog is on the property.  Well this morning we went to town and noticed their dog down at that neighbor's house chasing her goats.  When we returned from town about a hour later she was still down at the neighbor B's with their GP.  We saw the neighbor A and let them know where their dog was.  The wife stated she was just in the back yard.  When was the last time she looked?!  I say this because we saw her when we left and when we returned and she wasn't in their yard at all.  The husband did go to retrieve their dog.


Here is my problem.  They once blamed my dog so we feel she is still an escape goat in the back of their minds.  If we let her out she can always be blamed again.  In the meantime our animals are not being protected as we would like for them to be.  Also their dog is still able to run about as she please without any problem.


Does anyone have any suggestions?  Our homestead was working well until this happened and now it seems kinked up.

We Can't Find Opal - Happy Update (Found)

Opal
Born - January 9, 2011

Opal and I watching a new baby goat.

Opal with her favorite Mommy.
She relaxed so completely she slid to the ground.

Opal came up missing yesterday around feeding time.  One minute she was in the front yard playing with the neighbor's GP then she was gone.  Now, I understand for some this is not a cause for alarm knowing the breed.  We know our Opal.  When she was a puppy one of her back legs were injured and it never fully recovered.  As a result she is a stay at home close to her goats kind of girl.  The only time she would explore was with her sister when they would romp to the pond and come back covered in mud.

Yesterday there was a man sent by my father to check out the timber on the property for harvest.  That is the only thing that is not normal about yesterday evening.  Harriet heard three gun shots close to dark but didn't tell me about it until late last night.  Before then I was looking for her running around possibly still playing with the neighbor's dog.

So this morning I got up and hit the woods.  This place never seemed so big before.  I have searched maybe 1/2 of the woods and that took 3 hours.  I don't know what I think I might find.  If I find her dead I want to know if she was shot then I'll know who did it.  But I am finding nothing.  We drove all over the place yesterday retracing steps frequently.  I think it is almost time to just surrender and give it to God.  I just don't know what else to do but at least attempt to find her.  Anyway, please keep our sweet girl in your prayers.

Opal at three months old.

Excellent Midwife

Opal and her sister Buttercup getting some well deserved love.

*** Update ***

I am happy and so very grateful to report that I found her and she is fine.  She has just a bit of cabin fever.  Somehow she got locked in the storage barn last night.  I went to close it up and she was playing with the neighbor's dog.  I don't know when she slipped in but she did and I locked her right in.  We are just so happy to have her back.  We thought we had lost her.

An Evening with the Animals

Here are some pictures and video I took this evening when we sat out back with the goats, sheep, and dogs.  Sometimes a chicken or a guinea or two.

Sheri - What do you have there?

Our newest kid - Laura Croft
Nanny's baby - December 13, 2011
Name may change in the future

Laura Croft

Tippy Toe
Penelope's baby - December 12, 2011

Pyrenees Love
Opal

She relaxed so much she fell to the ground.

Our Opal and Buttercup
What would we ever do without them.

I hope you enjoyed an evening at the homestead.

Lap Goats?! What Can I Say?

When you have a lap goat you know you have some spoiled animals.  Ernestine is in my lap, her brother Ornery is the black boy and their mom Penelope is on my other side with the pink collar.  The two kids are the first animals born here on the homestead.  As a matter of fact I believe we didn't have any pigmy goats at this time last year.  Now we have 5 adult females in which we believe all are pregnant and two kids.  We are expecting babies as of this December.  I know, not great timing but our daughter had the male we wanted to breed to them and she was having him fixed.  Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  I pray it all works out.

Bandito is Nigerian Dwarf and Pygmy mix.  He has sired many however is now retired and spending the rest of his days with his two female companions and two kids.




This evening we took advantage of the nice weather before the cold front hits tomorrow.  We sat out on the back porch among our animals.  Well all except for the fowl.  Here are a few pictures we took tonight of our spoiled animals.

Ornery - Not only a lap goat, he also likes to lay his head down.

 

Opal - One of our Great Pyrenees

Penelopy & Ornery

Nanny, Sugar, & Sheri

Nea Nea

The next pictures are very special to me.  In February of this year we were asked to help bottle feed a lamb who's mom was down.  Well we are the type of people that will do what we can for any animal.  So not only did we bottle feed the lamb but Harriet was able to bring the ewe back from the brink of death.  No exaggeration!  At one time all bowel sounds had stopped and she was blind.  Harriet worked with her tirelessly and now she is ours as she lost her leg and they could no longer breed her.  It was one of the best gifts I have ever received.  Having these two Barbado Sheep has been a joy and a blessing.  They are such beautiful gentle creatures.  They are my babies.

If you would like to read more about them here are some previous blogs:

The Story of Momma Sheep and Mary Lamb

Mary Lamb

Mary Lamb & Momma

Mary and I
Mary is almost 9 months old.