Last Friday we welcomed the two newest members of our staff. Sasha and Sophie are six month old Polis Tatra pups; our new livestock guardian dogs.  They come from a fellow farmer (he raises sheep in Lamont) and so have great credentials, both parents are working dogs and the girls have been exposed to the job from the beginning.

Jody and I have approached this like many new endeavors on the farm,  with great enthusiam and a willingness to learn as we go.  We're excited to have another line of defense in our ongoing effort to thwart the raccoons, coyotes, and other predators that harass our chickens.  We're also excited about the dogs themselves.  They are, of course, adorable.  In addition though they are friendly to people, and clearly smart.

Sasha was the more outgoing sister at first, ready to approach people and be handled almost as soon as she arrived.  Sophie took a few more days to get comfortable with us, but has adjusted well.

On Tuesday Sasha was already on the job, although she gave us a scare.  Ginger and Sadie, our two older pets, along with Sasha raced towards the timber, barking a warning at a coyote.  Ginger and Sadie soon returned without the pup.  Jody was concerned so went out look for her, Sophie followed close to him.  He couldn't find her, so returned to the house and call me to come home early from a meeting in Ottawa so he could search more throughly. 

All ended well though, by the time I got home Sasha was back in the yard. We're working now to teach them the boundary of our fields, and their responsibility!

All in all I think they'll be a great addition to the farm!