First Batch!

The first batch of English Shepherd puppies has arrived - Fahey and Ailagh are the proud parents of Ten beautiful, vigorous babies! Born on October 21st there are 6 females, 4 males, in Tricolor and Black & Tan.

These are very special Puppies to us, being our 2nd generation of Naturally Reared dogs. We are accepting applications, so contact us to request one if interested.

Follow the weekly PDF updates at http://englishshepherds.webs.com/2013litters .

Dangerous Ashes

We feel impelled to issue a warning, to spare other dogs and families this heartbreak.

Many people have recreational fire pits around which they enjoy relaxing time with family and friends. In the country people also have burn piles where wood and debris from around their property is burned. What most people aren’t aware of is the danger the resulting ashes present to one’s dog. It was our tragedy to learn this firsthand in the recent death of our precious dog Liam.

Consuming ashes is, at the least, extremely harmful to dogs. Most folks do not know (or forgot) that the old time way of acquiring lye for soap making is to leach water through hardwood ashes. The leachate is lye, a dangerously caustic substance, both internally and externally. However, even the ash of non-hardwoods when soaked with water will produce a severely caustic substance. If an unknown quantity of wet ashes and/or the soil underneath is ingested by a dog it causes acute alkalosis. In other words, the dog’s ph drops too low, too fast for its body to recover and acts like a toxin, killing the dog within a couple days. The dog suffers miserably. We know.

What can you do to prevent it? For fire pits- keep it cleaned of ashes, being extra careful after rainfall or if the fire pit gets saturated from a sprinkler. Keeping it securely covered so your dog can’t rifle through it would work also, especially if food is roasted in the fire there could be attractive smelling drippings in the ashes. For burn piles- do not bury anything that might attract a dog, like bones or spoiled food of any kind since dogs are scavengers. If possible, somehow block off a dogs’ access to it completely.

What if your dog does ingest ashes? We were told if you suspect your dog ate ashes to dose him/her internally with hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting. This will not be easy or pleasant, but it’s the only thing that can be done. If your dog acts ill or vomits before you suspect, it’s too late to do anything. That’s what happened to Liam.

Please, spread the word about this danger. Safeguard your dogs without delay. 

And then give them an extra hug in memory of our sweet Liam. Cherish every precious moment with them!

English Shepherd Litter Planned

We are now accepting Applications.

~ ~ Don't Miss This Opportunity! ~ ~

These Puppies will be amazing additions for a few select homes.
If you would like to be considered as a family for one of our rare Naturally Reared English Shepherds, please Contact Us to request a Puppy Application.


~ All Puppies Are Sold With A Contract ~

Our Breeding Philosophy and Puppy Placement Policies are a bit different than most. We ask that you please read them, as well as our Natural Rearing Program, Raising Pups, and Dog Care Standards.


~ Have questions? We're happy to answer them! ~

THE PARENTS

  Highland Glenn’s du Prairie Liam x Glimmercroft Greer

Liam and Greer are both Naturally Reared. They are affectionate companions, eager to please, social in public, dutiful guardians of home with moderate energy/drive, versatile, good structure, and working traits with various livestock. They produce even-tempered puppies that are strong and well-balanced in structure, very bright, with great working instincts and moderate-to-high energy/drive; wonderful for either working or active companion homes.

Lines: Anderson, Merz, Butcher, Shininger, Wilson

8 Laws of Health

Over the last few months I’ve been writing about the naturopathic Eight Laws of Health – nutrition, exercise, water, sunshine, temperance, air, rest, and trust (acronym NEWSTART) - as they relate to animals, focusing especially on dogs and cats. 

These Laws are the foundation of Natural Rearing which we practice on the Ranch. Each post offers a basic overview of one Law at a time, sort of a primer on animal naturopathy.

Visit our English Shepherd blog to read all the posts!

Time Flies

Looking back on the last year we have so much to be grateful for. Ranching together for one thing! Spring started with baby animals galore: 25 Speckled Sussex chicks, 5 English Shepherd puppies (one never left!), 3 American Milking Devon calves, and a few bunnies. It was quite a springing! ~ We were excited to be invited by the Washington State University extension office to present a rabbit workshop at their local livestock production seminar. ~ We had the pleasure of heartwarming visits from family far away! ~ Reconstructing the fallen bridge has been slow due to unusually wet weather and other setbacks. Priorities can change in the blink of an eye out here! ~ We started building our cabin. ~ The late fall arrival of a small spinner’s flock of Shetland sheep- you should see their stunningly beautiful fleece! ~ And we’ve made many good friends in our new hometown!

Summer stayed late, and winter arrived late but it’s here for the duration. Last Sunday night over a foot of powdery snow fell. So far this winter we’ve received close to 3 feet, but 2 of that melted during the above-average warm Nov/Dec. With temperatures predicted to drop far below 0 over the next couple nights, now it’s a matter of making sure we all survive.

2013 promises to be unlike any other year in many ways. We look forward to concentrating on growing more food as we set up part of the vegetable and herb gardens as well as a small berry patch; the cabin will be completed… we can hardly wait to move in; we plan to add heritage hogs to the ranch fold; preserving some of the harvest; learning to work with our first crop of wool; and being creative in doing more with less.

One thing is certain… the year will fly by as usual!