Barn Cats & Livestock Dogs
While they don’t produce anything, nor do we show them, these sweethearts are an integral part of our farm. The cats hunt down any pests that try moving in uninvited, and the dogs keep larger predators away.
Earl Grey
Earl Grey was purchased to replace our previous barn cat. Toby was a stray that we fed and he caught mice for us, then one day he just stopped coming by, so we figured it was time to get a proper barn cat. Earl Grey is almost a year old and absolutely terrified of the outside. Won’t even go out on the porch. But he’s weaseled his way into our hearts and managed to get a spot as an indoor lap cat.
Pumpkin Roll
We got Pumpkin Roll a few months after Earl Grey. Pumpkin Roll is a very curious cat, who has just started his outdoor adventures this month with winter finally passing. He seems to be loving the freedom, and while he has yet to catch any rats for us, we have high hopes once he gets acclimated to his new environment.
Oliver
Oliver is a full Great Pyrenees, albeit we were honestly hoping for a Pyrenees/Anatolian mix when we got him. He was the runt of his litter and is just now starting to come into his size and leave the puppy stage. We are currently working on getting him accustomed to the goats so that he can live with them in the barn as he is 1000 times happier when outside.
Gator
We got Gator shortly after Koda. He is a Border Collie and Great Pyrenees mix, with a little bit of Maremma Sheepdog thrown in there. He does have a solid herding and protective instinct which we know from his previous home on a sheep farm as well as the fact that he protects my metal garden goat from his brother. But he is also the biggest sweetheart you will ever meet and wants nothing more than to curl up into your lap, even though he’s pushing 60 lbs.