Uploads from Laura L. Wentz, tagged jake, with geodata

Hairy Woven Wire

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 08:41:46 -0700

The other part of the fence where Jake, the guard dog jumps through. He goes under the barbed wire and above the woven wire. An amazing feat for a big dog who is 9 1/2 years old now.

Jake Giving Me the Eye

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 08:31:54 -0700

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

Rissa and I finished the haircut job on Jake & Buddy yesterday. Although they are both still young at heart, this also makes them both look much younger. They've still got enough hair to protect them from the sun and flies but they will be cooler.

Chore(s)

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:15:17 -0700

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

chore [chawr, chohr] noun
1. a small or odd job; routine task.
2. chores, the everyday work around a house or farm.
3. a hard or unpleasant task: Solving the problem was quite a chore.

This is #2 in the definition. In the winter/early spring we feed hay to the sheep, some of it goes in feeders outside but most of it is in the barn. Understandably, the sheep would prefer to be outside on nice warm days like yesterday was. We feed hay every other day putting out enough for 2 days worth, same for the cattle. The only difference is that the cattle are fed with big round bales instead of small squares like the sheep get. We enjoy feeding even on days when the weather is bad, the smell of the hay is good, spending time with the animals-looking them over and petting some of the special ones, none of it really seems like a chore. : )

Jake & Ivy 2-24

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:02:44 -0800

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

Just wondering why I'm always taking pictures instead of just feeding them.

What we see depends mainly on what we look for. ~John Lubbock

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:19:28 -0700

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

One old dog torturing another

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 08:49:19 -0800

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

It's always fun to watch the dogs in my pack interact. Twinkie was born on our farm almost 11 years ago. She's lived here all her life. Jake came to us 8 years ago as a 2 year old.

Twinkie is a horrible, snarling, possessive dog if she's in a crate or a closed car. Out of there she's the friendliest little Walmart greeter you've ever seen. She's a good worker when she needs to be. She's never been one for the precision of a trial field, but if the cows are out in the neighbor's field in the dark in a rainstorm all you'd have to do is say fetch. It might take her a little bit of time but she'd get them all without help. Now that her hearing is starting to go she doesn't get used in the big fields without another dog.

Jake has been a guard dog all his life. He is one who roams out and checks the perimeters, comes back & checks the sheep and then goes out again. Two years ago during hunting season he decided that he didn't like shooting and ended up a couple miles from home and then spent the rest of the season with the sheep in the barn. He's not as bothered by thunder, but will jump the fence to find somewhere to hole up if the storm is bad enough. This year we just brought the sheep in closer to the barns and he was fine during hunting season.

This was after chores and Jake was going to find a place to sleep. The rams are in the pasture straight ahead of him lying up by the cow barn. Twinkie has always been one of those submissive lickers to the guard dogs. They tolerate her doing it for a while and then just wander off. She even does it with Ivy who is the bottom of the totem pole with everyone. I wonder about Twinkie's eyesight now though because if the guard dogs are far off in a field by themselves she'll bark viciously at them until they get close enough for her to figure out who it is.

Dogs & sheep

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 08:37:58 -0800

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

While we were hauling in wood yesterday the guard dogs brought the sheep back to see what we were doing with all the gates open. They're helpful that way. Lol. Wilbur thought he would help push them back, but he's not very useful on sheep. Curly is just putzing around. Zoe is out of the picture and going around to push the sheep back off the hill and out to the other end of the pasture.

Happy guard dog windmill Wednesday

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 09:36:00 -0800

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

Jake, the guard dog for the sheep is going to follow the flock now that he's done eating breakfast.

Guard dogs eating

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:02:40 -0800

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

Ivy gets her food spread out over 6-8 feet so she has to take her time. Otherwise not only does she eat without chewing but then she goes over to finish off the boys' food too.

They are gentlemen-they take a piece at a time and chew it at least 20 times before swallowing. Sometimes Jake even wanders off to get a drink and then comes back to eat.

Neither Jake nor Artie will stop Ivy from eating their food any more. At least this way it takes her a good 10 minutes and then she goes over and stares at them until they're done. None of them are hurting for food and since we're well into fall now they're on winter rations and get a cup more. When it's bitterly cold (below 10 degrees for a daytime high) they also get a small meal at night.

Jake and his breakfast

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:21:53 -0800

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

I love November because of the abundance of turkey necks and backs in the meat department. The guard dogs get the occasional meal of raw food and today was one of those days. Jake was enjoying his turkey back in the yard this morning away from Ivy who wanted to "share" with him.

Happy lambs, happy dogs

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 09:01:31 -0800

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

This is after they all stopped goofing around and got to where they were supposed to be.

All three dogs with most of flock

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:01:01 -0700

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

The guard dogs out with the sheep. We don't have a problem with the coyotes because they do a good job!

Hair on barbed wire

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 08:47:58 -0700

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

Jake is the Maremma guard dog out with the sheep. His favorite way to get out of the pasture is to climb between the barbed wire on the top and the woven wire. He loses a bit of hair each time he does it too.

Hey there handsome!

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:03:44 -0700

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

Stella flirting with Jake. No real reason for it other than she's a dork.

Jake in handling system

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:19:36 -0700

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

The sheep are back in the trial field until Sunday when it's supposed to cool down a bit. The guard dogs can go where ever they like and Jake's favorite place is here in the handling system (for the cows). It's a set of pens with a lane made from stock panels attached to railroad tie posts and there's a chute with a scale.

Jake likes to be in here because it's shady in the afternoon and evening. The hay shed is on one side and that's where he likes to go when there's thunderstorms. We did have a rain storm last night which brought us another .6 of rain. Yippee. : )

Guard Dog & Sheep Fence

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:06:49 -0700

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

This morning the guard dogs were waiting for breakfast. They never understand why I stop to take pictures before putting out their food. The sheep have been in this paddock since Monday. When they went in and were on the hill you couldn't see them because the tall grass was so thick. They're doing a good job of eating it down. We're supposed to have 3 pretty hot days so I'm going to add a few more rolls of electronet to they will still have access to the trees for shade.

Guard dog breakfast

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 08:43:27 -0700

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

Themes and Challenges 3 Weeks of Summer
Ivy, Jake and Artie eating this morning. Their sheep got moved to the side hill so they'll have some trees for afternoon shade. Part of this field was cut for hay (where the dogs are) and the rest of it has not been grazed since April so there's quite a bit to eat.

The forecast today is 98/74 and tomorrow is 97/66 sunny, hot and humid.

Jake, 1 ewe & 7 lambs

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:15:24 -0700

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

There really are 7 lambs in the picture. Most of them are lying in the grass in front of Jake.

Guess who is next?

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:28:16 -0700

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

The 2 guard dogs are the only ones left who need some personal grooming done. I'd like the weather to warm up and stay warm before we do them.

Jake

nobody@flickr.com (Laura L. Wentz) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:10:01 -0800

Laura L. Wentz posted a photo:

He doesn't get as much camera time as the other 3 guard dogs do. He's not the oldest or my favorite (Buddy). He's not the youngest guard dog or the female (Ivy). He's also not the freak of the bunch (Artie).

He's just Jake. The dog who was supposed to be my ex-husband's. He moved when John took his sheep and then 2 days later he was back at the farm. I called John and he picked him up. A day later he was back. This time I didn't call and when John called me a couple days later I did say he was here but maybe there was a reason for that...once they bond to "their" sheep it's hard to un-bond. Besides he knew the way home and we were both worried that he would get hit by a car or picked up by someone.

Jake came to us with both his mom (Maggie who is John's and she's stayed although I've told her she could come back too) and Frosty who went to a friend and died of old age last fall.

He's Marissa's favorite guard dog and it's obvious from his behavior around her that she is his favorite person even though I'm the one who feeds him.

Jake is about 8 now and his age is starting to show with a little arthritis. Also last fall was the first year that he started to show some signs of sound sensitivity and on opening day of deer season he ended up about 3 miles from home. We went and picked him up and he spent the next week plus in the hay mow. Hopefully he doesn't show the same dislike of thunderstorms when it warms up.