No, it's not a new-wave dance move...it's what you do when your livestock guard dog (LGD) can't seem to remember his place on the farm. Tonight, Justin (our part Anatolian Shepard, part Great Pyrennees guard dog) got treated to the sheep-shears and a spray of flea/tick/mite killer. His long hair used to be thick enough that he could run under the electric fence around the goat-pen without getting shocked - it kind of held the wire away from his skin. This has caused him to start showing up around the house just about every day lately. An LGD who doesn't know his place is an LGD that has no place on the farm. It sounds cruel to shave him just so he can get shocked, but look on the bright side. With his new haircut, he stays cooler in the heat and he can avoid getting the boot off the farm (which is what will happen if he can't stay up there and guard the goats.)
Also, by way of closure, the ants pictured below that we found in the attic are, indeed, just that - ants. I had feared they were termites, but it turns out they are actually acrobat ants. They actually eat termites and are attracted to moist wood. That last bit is not good. We have attic vent fans that leak a bit of water if it rains real hard, so I am sure that is what they are up to. We'll have to get rid of them, but at least it is not a termite infestation.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Shaving the LDG
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3 comments:
Could it be that the dog is bored?
Also I always thought that his coat prevents a dog from getting too hot in the sun, just like the bedoeïne people wear heavy long clothes in the desert.
Hmm...I guess he is going to want to sit in the shade then. (which he normally does anyway)
This breed of dog was bred to sit around and watch livestock. I guess boredom is in his genes.
He is a puppy though, so hopefully he will grow out of this stage. We had the problem that we let him grow up around the house so he thinks that is a good place to be. He would have been better of if he had started his days out with the goats. These dogs become one of the herd if they grow up with goats. Hopefully it is not too late to retrain him.
Oh Joe, you're such a humanitarian!
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