Red Dog, Spotted Sheep

Jamie Oliver ~ How To Butcher A Lamb

2012-02-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

If you are raising lamb, this is for you! If you are considering a lamb raised by local farmers, this is for you.

Far I Kal ( Lamb & Cabbage )

2012-01-25T22:19:00.000-08:00

This is a delicious lamb recipe. The Norwegian words for this recipe are "Far I Kal". You can see the recipe for this dish on my family cook book blog ~ 'Lefse Girls In The Kitchen'. Enjoy.

Lamb Pasty, An Old English Recipe Circa 1720

2012-01-09T00:44:00.000-08:00

These men cook a lamb recipe using a very old cook book, and very old methods of cooking. Maybe we should break out the old cook books on our shelves and find those gems of delicious delights! New is not always better, but I sure am glad I have an electric oven & stove to use when I cook and bake.

More of Jamie Oliver & Roast Lamb, Yum !

2011-12-30T03:46:00.000-08:00

This is a quick synopsis of how to roast lamb, and a lovely synopsis it is! Enjoy. ~

Jamie Oliver Cooks Lamb Part II ~ Still Brilliant!

2011-12-29T03:02:00.001-08:00

I hope you watch this and see the possibilities of incorporating locally raised lamb into your family menu. For good taste, good health, and the joy of life... good eating to you and yours !

Jamie Oliver on Cooking Lamb, Brilliant !

2011-12-28T00:21:00.000-08:00

Jamie talks with a shepherdess about the best lamb for cooking. Not spring lamb he says, Autumn lamb is the best!

Oh Americans, try American lamb from your local farmer. Healthy and delicious.

Norwegian Lamb Recipe, But Try American Raised Lamb!

2011-12-27T02:13:00.000-08:00

Chicory and her ram lambs.

$12.99 a pound for lamb!

~We raised a lamb this year for our freezer. This is a first for us with my Jacob sheep.I have been selling my spring lambs for many years to others who raise them for the table but could not bear to do this myself.Recently I bought lamb for a special meal to serve my husband and on sale lamb cost more than $10.00 a pound! Given the price of lamb, the price of meat in general, and the fact that we have been raising sheep for so many years it was ridiculous I would be raising sheep and not have lamb for our own table. It just makes good sense for us to feed our own family well & healthy using the bounty God has allowed me to raise. The recipe above will hopefully entice you to consider serving lamb to your family.

As some Jacob Sheep breeders told us recently, "If you go Jacob, you'll never go back". (regarding eating the meat of Jacob sheep) and they were right! The meat of this primitive breed is not as fatty, nor does it have the taste & smell that causes many Americans to dislike lamb. "Americans aren't used to lamb, so it has an air of mystery." ~'Butcher's Guide To Well-Raised Meat ' by Joshua & Jessica Applestone

Bide A Wee Chicory For Sale

2011-09-10T10:00:00.001-07:00

Chicory. My husband and I drove to the home of the Bide-a-wee Flock in Oregon a few years ago and bought Chicory & Buttercup from Karen Lobb & Doug Montgomery. Chicory and Buttercup have a truly amazing pedigree ,their father is from the Butter Island, Maine flock which is a very interesting story I'll not relate here. Check out the JSBA newsletters .
Bide A Wee Chicory is for sale. She is a wonderful ewe. I am keeping her sister, Bide A Wee Buttercup. Chicory has an amazing pedigree. She gave birth to twin ram lambs this year and is a wonderful mother. Chicory would be a great addition to any flock. To view her pedigree click here *, Chicory can be yours for $150.00. Sold, thank-you Mr. & Mrs. Z !

Mara , EWE With 5 Horns For Sale

2011-09-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Cedar Pond's Mara

Mara has 5 horns. Two are fused making it appear she has only 4 horns. This is Mara and her daughter. Mara is for sale.

Mara's daughter has 4 horns.

Mara sells for $150.00. To view Mara's pedigree click here * , then click onto "pedigree search", then enter "Mara" You will find her name "Cedar Pond's Mara" then click . Mara is a good Mom, and easy keeper. ( Well, all of my Jacob ewes have been easy-keepers) Mara is young and can provide many more lovely lambs and you never know how many horns her offspring might sprout...her lines have 6 horned lambs too. Mara is sold, thank-you Mr. & Mrs. Z !

Barbarian For Sale ( Jacob Sheep Ram )

2011-09-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

Barbarian is for sale. Here he is pictured with his half-brother. Cedar Pond's Barbarian ( left) Cedar Pond's Viking (right). Both rams are sons of my ram Cedar Pond's Goth.

Another view of Barbarian. I call him Barry though, because he really has proven to have a rather nice disposition for a ram, not that I would ever trust him NOT to ram me, no ram should ever be trusted.

Barbarian & Viking, picture taken this past week. Click here to view Barbarian's pedigree.*Barbarian is $250.00.

Pixie ~ Jacob Ewe For Sale ( Unregistered)

2011-09-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Cedar Pond's Pixie ~ Unregistered

These are pictures of Pixie as a lamb. She is a bit different than any of my other lambs and I find her interesting. Pixie has a "lilac" fleece, and she has 4 horns, though one of the horns ( on the side ) is scurred. I did not register Pixie because she does not show distinctive spots. As a lamb her fleece appeared chocolate brown.I never had a lamb fleece like hers. If I had a lot of acreage I would keep her and raise several generations of her lambs to see what characteristics they might show. I am keeping her parents ,Cedar Pond's Goth & Cedar Pond's Ruth so I am not losing the gene pool.

Baby Pixie

Pixie now, 2 years old. You can see her fleece color has faded and appears an all-over color, though when sheared you can see her distinctive large spotting.

Pixie grazing with her Aunt Mally, a six-horned ewe.
Pixie is for sale: $100.00

2011-09-09T00:23:00.000-07:00

Bea, my Lab.

Bea, my beloved, easy-going, faithful, adoring Lab. All decked out in tu-tu by the granddaughters. She endured many costume changes and face make-up too. Bea is the best dog ever, and anyone having a dog like her is blessed, abundantly!

Sheep For Sale, They Come With Spots & Horns

2011-06-04T02:07:00.000-07:00

Saffron and her ewe ( girl ) lamb are for sale. $175.00 for both of them. Saffron is registered through J.S.B.A. ~SOLD~

This little ewe lamb is for sale too. $75.00 ~SOLD ~

As is this lamb, she is also $75.00 ~SOLD~. You can buy all the sheep listed here for $300.00. Jacob sheep are hardy, disease resistant, foot-rot resistant, and smaller than many breeds.I have kept them for many years now and love this breed.

Thora's Lamb

2011-05-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

This is Thora's ewe ( girl) lamb. She is for sale. Thora's lamb has too much solid black on her for registration, but she is a fine little 4 horned lamb.

This little ewe lamb is for sale ~ $100.00.

Saffron & Lamb For Sale

2011-05-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

Saffron and her ewe ( girl) lamb. ~sold ~

This little ewe ( girl) lamb is the daughter of Cedar Pond's Saffron.

Saffron and her lamb both have 4 horns.

Saffron and her lamb are for sale, $175.00 for both of them. Saffron is registered and her lamb will come with all paperwork necessary for registration. To see Saffron's pedigree click here* to view the J.S.B.A. site. From there click onto 'pedigrees' and enter her name.

Cedar Pond's Barbarian ( Barry )

2011-05-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

Cedar Pond's Barbarian*, son of Goth. (click onto his name , it will take you to the JSBA web site, then click onto pedigrees.Enter Barbarian's name and his pedigree will come up.)

Barbarian (Barry) peeking from behind his half-brother Viking.

Barbarian on the left.

Barbarian has 4 very strong and large horns.

Barbarian is for sale - $175.00.

Viking For Sale ~

2011-05-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Cedar Pond's Viking. * (click onto name for pedigree at J.S.B.A. )

If you are interested in any of my sheep's pedigrees, just click onto the J.S.B.A. web site and then click onto 'pedigrees'. Enter the name of the sheep you're interested in and the pedigree will show.

Viking is for sale, here he is ( left ) with his half brother Barbarian.

Cedar Pond's Viking

Viking , his half brother Barbarian peeking over him.

Viking ( right) & Barbarian ( Barry ) dwell together quite well thus far. Both rams are registered with Jacob Sheep Breeder's Association* and are for sale. $175.00 each,or if you're in the market for two rams they sell together for $300.00.

Lambs ! 2011 Jacob Sheep Lambs

2011-03-18T01:37:00.000-07:00

Delilah, my half Jacob and half Romney ewe lambed 2 /26/2011.

Delilah gave birth to one ram lamb who is mostly black and is now sprouting 4 well spaced horns. Delilah lambed the same day in the same place as Cedar Pond's Thora. I am pretty sure Thora had triplets, but somehow she claimed only one ewe lamb and left 3 little ones milling about trying to nurse from a very confused Delilah.

Delilah claimed two little ram lambs and they are thriving.

Thora and her little ewe lamb. 2/26/2008 ~ I am bottle feeding the lamb neither claimed, and Cindy is doing very well.

Sassafras and her ram lambs. 2/21/2011

First lambs born here and doing well. Cedar Pond's Viking is the sire.

Bide-a-wee Buttercup and her ram lamb. Buttercup is also the mother of last years' Cedar Pond's Barbarian who is for sale. Look at the horns already sprouting from this lamb's head, first day of birth, OUCH ! Cedar Pond's Goth is the sire of this lamb.

Bide-a-wee Chicory and her twin ram lambs born 3/3/2011. Cedar Pond's Goth is the sire of these ram lambs, Chicory and her lambs are for sale.

They are so cute, it is too bad they grow up into rams. A person can only keep so many rams you know.Anyone interested in buying Chicory will get these handsome ram lambs with her, they can be registered and should be magnificent rams.

Cedar Pond's Mara and her wee little ewe lamb, born 3/3/2011. Cedar Pond's Viking is the sire. Mara has 5 horns, two have fused together making it look like she has 4 horns.

Bide-a-wee Chicory and ram lambs.

Cedar Pond's Valkyrie and her ram lamb, born 3/17/2011.

Red Dogs In The Snow

2010-12-02T02:42:00.000-08:00

Joy oh joy~ snow!

We love the snow , especially if we smell wild birds near by.

Yup, wild turkeys and grouse...where is my shooting hunter-master?

Cedar Pond's Barbarian ~ Yes, He's For Sale

2010-09-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

This is Cedar Pond's Barbarian.

Barbarian is the son of Cedar Pond's Goth and Bide A Wee Buttercup.

Barbarian was born this February .

He reminds me a lot of his father, Goth.

Barbarian is for sale, his registration is pending. He is $250.00.

If you're interested in him please e-mail me. Meanwhile, come see his mother and father at the Puyallup Fair, in the Animals of the World Barn, this Wednesday thru Sunday~

Free your glee, do the Puyallup!

Faithful Has A Name.

2010-08-15T02:56:00.000-07:00

Wonderful, loving, faithful beyond what faithful calls for, I throw out a stick and Bea goes to retrieve it....

...so far that I fear for her.( Bea is that little dot in the upper left of the lake) She has missed the stick and heads for the island in pursuit of the stick I have carelessly thrown. I have not worked this beloved and faithful dog enough for her to have the energy to reach the island AND have enough stamina to return. Come back Bea...

I toss another heavy stick into the waters while yelling her name...COME BACK BEA!

She does come back, finds the new stick and happily, but wearily puffing, comes back.

Very well deserved rest by the people she loves and a warm camp fire. Faithful has a name and it is "Bea".

Names, Names, What To Name A Ram Lamb

2010-06-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

This handsome ( in my opinion ) ram lamb is the son of Bide-a-wee Buttercup and Cedar Pond's Goth. I named him Basil as a newborn, but have decided this will not be his registered name as I have watched him grow up. He has grown rapidly and at 2 months of age was as tall as his Mom. He looks very much like his father, Goth, at this age but I think his horns are showing signs they will be better than his father's magnificent rack. When I named Goth, it was after the Barbarian people groups of Europe, etc. For some reason it seemed appropriate given the nature of rams and invading, fighting barbarians.
Here is a recent photo of Basil with his mom, Bide-a-wee Buttercup. I named last years ram lamb 'Vandal'. The Vandals were a people group too and the name also fit his tendency early on to vandalize all our fencing, walls, and gates.
Here is a family group. In front is Buttercup and Basil, in back, daughter Valkyrie ( she has 5 horns ) and Chicory, Buttercup's sister , far left.
Valkyrie and Swallow Lane Barnaby produced this fine ram lamb. He has blue eyes, 4 nice horns, and a lovely fleece as far as I can tell right now. I am naming the son of Valkyrie and Barnaby 'Viking'. That would be another notorious invading barbarian people group. So, what to name Basil ? Why I think 'Barbarian', what do you think? Cedar Pond's Barbarian, works for me.

Outdoor Dog Bedding~ Problems & Solutions

2010-06-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is Misty. She is old, deaf and blind. She still enjoys life though, and especially resting on the porch, which all the dogs love. The problem is , how to keep water dogs who enjoy the outdoors from ruining the porch and their bedding while drying off before coming inside for the night.
Look at the mud on the back porch. Look at the dogs cramming themselves into the crates. Yes, they love the crates, and tussle with each other for the chance to have the crate to themselves. Another dog will eventually roost on top of the crates. The problem is the Viszla loves to always have bedding under himself and he drags the bedding out into the grass, dirt , or mud to sit on. I have watched him drag the blanket or expensive dog cushion around as he follows the sun spots. Smart, but eventually the bedding is soaked or filthy or both and often ruined, especially if the dogs play tug of war with the bedding.

My husband and I don't like the place to look like a doghouse, which is why we put a gate on the back porch and the dogs have to dry off before they come inside for the night. But we also want the porch to look nice. Practical, and nice. What to do, what to do?
I found these dog beds when I googled "Durable dog beds". Up popped these dog beds by Coolaroo at HealthyPets.com . They promise to be durable, easy to clean, and they were relatively inexpensive. They also arrived within 2 days of ordering. I assembled them easily.

Look! Two dogs on each bed.

The dog beds are supposed to be cleaned by hosing down, I like that.

I think the beds are a winner as far as the dogs are concerned. Now I have to again pressure wash the back porch and scrub the railings. We are painting the house this summer ( if summer ever comes ) and then I think I will put a protective barrier on the back porch siding of the house, a WASHABLE protective barrier.

Shortly after I put the beds on the back porch I saw one of the Labs scratching fiercely at the bedding to do her usual shredding of the bedding. The canvas remains undamaged. So far these beds are a big thumbs up for me. I will let you know later if the beds withstand the abuse 4 dogs can dish out.

Barnaby's Babes

2010-05-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

This post is spotlighting the lambs sired by Swallow Lane Barnaby. This little cutie is the last lamb born here, very recently. She is the first lamb of Cedar Pond's Saffron, and I have named her Sesame. I really don't see her sleeping much, she is very active and keeps up with the much larger and older lambs quite easily.

Sesame's tail is 'bout ready to drop off , looks funny doesn't it?

Here is Tilda, daughter of Barnaby and Cedar Pond's Thora. Thora is Goth's twin sister.

Close-up of Thora. Although I did not get a picture of her tail here, she was born with such a short tail I did not dock it. I kind of like her tail that way.First lambs who's tails I did not dock were born this year. It appears that the ewes bred with Barnaby produced lambs with much shorter tails.

Another view of Tilda. ( above) Tilda has 4 horns.

This is Pixie, so named because she is tiny, like her mother Ruth and sister Mally. This very tiny size seems to run in this particular line of my sheep. Pixie's mother is Cedar Pond's Ruth.

It is hard to tell here, but Pixie is brown. Not faded black, but chocolate brown, with light eyes.
Pixie has 4 horns.

You can almost tell here how brown she is in comparison with her mother Ruth. Ruth has 4 horns, 2 on each side. The horns are fusing to look like 2 fat horns on each side. Pixie's sister Mahlon ( Mally) has 6 horns.

Dinah is 3/4 Jacob, 1/4 Romney. Dinah is the daughter of Delilah and Barnaby.

I think Dinah is cute too.Note , she has no horns, or is 'polled'.

Dinah posing so properly.

Here is Viking, son of Swallow Lane Barnaby and Cedar Pond's Valkyrie. Valkyrie has 5 distinct horns. Viking is very handsome and a strapping big ram lamb with promising horns. All 4 are well formed and spaced thus far.

Sassafras with her little ewe lamb. I have not settled on a name for this ewe yet. She is the other lamb who's tail I did not dock because it seems short enough. She has 4 horns too.

This little ewe lamb does have a lot of black on her, doesn't she?

There you have it, Barnaby's babes, and a lovely group of lambs they are.

Buttercup & Basil

2010-04-29T00:11:00.000-07:00

Bide-A-Wee's Buttercup resting with her ram lamb, Cedar Pond's Basil. Basil is as big as his mother and I have heard him baaing mournfully because his mother will not let him nurse any more. Can you blame her? Just look at the size of his horns! I have seen him ram her udder to bring her milk down and it looks awfully painful, and downright deadly to me. I think Basil looks very much like his father, Goth. He is mighty handsome and on his way to being a very big ram with great horns. ( I might be a bit biased about this though)

Would You Mess With This Lamb's Mama?

2010-04-11T01:26:00.000-07:00

Look at the expression on Valkyrie's face I captured when I snapped her picture.

I was trying to get a good picture of her son, Viking. Viking's father is Swallow Lane Barnaby.
I am getting excited about him. His horns are looking good. His markings are nice. He has blue eyes too. He is pretty big, and although he was the last born lamb here he is among the bigger lambs. To get to him though you have to confront his mama....

...does she look like a creature you want to cross? ( note that she has 5 horns)

Hmm, look at his stance in this photo. He is going to be one big and beautiful Jacob Ram and I think he knows it!

Puny Mahlon

2010-02-28T23:51:00.000-08:00

This is Cedar Pond's Mahlon just prior to being sheared, so- named because this line of my Jacob Sheep are all named from the Book of Ruth in the Bible...and because the name that fit her is the name of Ruth's first husband ~ Mahlon, which means 'puny'. I will call her Mally for short , no pun intended!

Does anyone else have a Jacob Sheep this tiny? Mally is a yearling ewe lamb and she is no more than 25 pounds...maybe even less. The newborn lambs stand as tall as her. She also has 6 horns, 3 on each side of her head. They are fusing to look like 2 very short fat horns, but for most of last year they were 6 very distinct horns. ( Hey, maybe all her growth went into producing horns!)

We had Mally sheared last weekend and she is not underweight for her size. Definitely not malnourished. She has been wormed and had her shots. She does not lack for all the alfalfa she can eat, which is plenty.She is perfectly healthy and active in every way. In other words, she is not stunted for lack of proper care. She is just very tiny. Her mother is small, but nowhere near this tiny. Her Grandmother, Cedar Pond's Naomi is pictured elsewhere on this blog and is one of my larger ewes...never , ever tiny. Mally's father is Cedar Pond's Goth, and he is not small either. So I ask again, are there any Jacob Sheep owners out there who have a teeny tiny sheep every so often?

More About Mally~

2010-02-28T04:03:00.000-08:00

This is Cedar Pond's Mahlon, or Mally, pictured shortly after her birth last spring 2009. As you can see, she is a normal sized lamb. Her mother, Cedar Pond's Ruth is short and stocky and probably does not weigh over 50 pounds. Mally's mother has 4 horns, but her horns have fused so it looks like she has 2 fat horns .

Here is a side shot of Ruth and her daughter Mally.

Mally' pretty cute, I think.

Mother and daughter are still attached to each other, even though at this writing Ruth is due to lamb any day now.

So you can see from the pictures that Mally started her life as a normal little Jacob sheep lamb who at this writing just hasn't grown much. Are there any of you Jacob Sheep owners with a normal, healthy, but very small sheep? Please let me know, I am interested!

Spots Of Distraction~

2010-02-25T23:46:00.000-08:00

I am not the only one distracted by the little bouncing spots! This group of Jacob lambs surrounded a ewe ( you can't see the other 3 ) and they were running around her, one bounced off her. They bounded under her and in her way. Fortunately she is the mother of 2 of the 6 in the lamb gang so she knows to be patient, but really, aren't they just too cute and distracting?

Children Of Goth

2010-02-22T23:20:00.000-08:00

Cedar Pond's Goth's harem this year consisted of only 4 ewes and they all lambed within 6 days of each other! This was an easy lambing time, all 4 ewes gave birth quickly and without any problems. The lambs were on their feet and nursing quickly. What more could a shepherdess want?

The first lambs were twins born to Cedar Pond's Naomi on February 4~ a ram lamb & a ewe lamb. I have named them Orpah and Obed. ( above )

Delilah, my half Jacob, half Romney gal gave birth to a lovely little ewe lamb February 6. I named her Dinah. ( above )

Bide-A-wee Buttercup presented me with a huge and healthy ram lamb February 8 and I have named him Basil. ( above)

The last of Goth's children to be born were a set of twins to Bide-a-wee Chicory. They were born February 9 and I have named the ram lamb Chervil and the ewe Coriander.

I think Goth sired some very nice lambs this year!

Lambs are some of my favorite animals to watch and I spend as much time as possible enjoying watching them in the short space of time they are young. Are you taking the time to enjoy the many taken for granted blessings you already have in your life today?

Swallow Lane Barnaby~

2010-01-27T18:52:00.000-08:00

This is Swallow Lane Barnaby.

He is not quite 1 year old yet.

I think he is a pretty nice looking Jacob Sheep Ram.

Barnaby was sheared today and now he is very naked.

I decided to spare him the embarrassment of posting his nakedness on the internet , but I was pleased to see he is plenty healthy and fleshed out enough for a young ram who spent the early winter months with a small flock of ewes. Barnaby is now sharing a larger pen with his buddy Black Bart, a Jacob / Welsh cross. They seem to be able to work out the differences in their partnership very well and hold their own with each other. Let's hope this continues, for both their sakes!

Big Game Hunt! Bag A 4-Horned Ram,But Not Here~

2009-12-03T23:55:00.000-08:00

I found the video below on You-Tube. Big game hunt...4 horned rams! These guys hunted and bagged a 4 horn ram! I have a few of these eating alfalfa in back of my house....you will note I have a very BIG 4-horned ram wearing a black leather mask too. ( Goth would appreciate these guys not stalking him here)

Valkyrie, Ewe of Many Horns

2009-10-18T22:42:00.001-07:00

This is Cedar Pond's Valkyrie [ B083-08 ]. She has 5 distinct and broad horns. Valkyrie is a ewe who , with the exception of her horns, looks very, very much like her mother and her mother's half sister. They both came from Bide-a-wee Jacobs in Oregon.
Here is Cedar Pond's Goth,[ D021-06 ] the father of Valkyrie. He has 4 very large and strong horns and is himself the son of a ewe who had 5 distinct and large horns. Her name is Cedar Pond's Tiara.[ C048-03 ]
Here is a picture of Valkyrie's mother, Bide-a-wee Buttercup [A088-06 ] pictured with last spring's lamb, sibling to Valkyrie. Both Buttercup and her half sister Chicory are the daughters of a ram ( Huntsberger Royal [FF095-03 ]) Karen Lobb and Doug Montgomery purchased from a flock of sheep that have a very interesting history . There is an article in a JSBA newsletter about this flock being rounded up on an island , Butter Island, off the coast of Maine after living there for a few years. They subsisted and thrived solely on what was growing on the island, proving to me that this primitive breed is well suited to living on land that could not adequately feed most modern and "improved" breeds of sheep today. Anyway, I digress, but hope to get back soon to post about this interesting bit of history regarding my favorite breed of sheep, and particularly MY sheep.

Here is Valkyrie at a few months of age.

As you can see, the last two photos show her distinct 5 horns, and the first photo was taken last month showing the horns are broadening and getting longer.As she is not yet 2 years old I think her horns are very large for a ewe and am curious about how the horns will fill her head and possibly fuse as the years go by.

I love the diversity of horns, spots, wool type and texture my flock of Jacob Sheep provide. After having Jacob sheep for almost 20 years now I am still not tired of having them and look forward to 20 more years with this remarkable breed of sheep.

Swallow Lane Barnaby, My New Ram!

2009-09-10T01:27:00.000-07:00

This is Swallow Lane Barnaby, my new ram. He is still a lamb, but a very well-mannered ram lamb. He is very friendly and tends to snuggle up next to me as I wheel in the days' alfalfa. Isn't he handsome?
This is his first day here, where I confined him with Black Bart, my Welsh / Jacob cross wether. Since Barnaby got along well with Bart I knew he would do fine and dandy with the rest of the flock.
And he did! " When selecting a ram it becomes exceedingly important to choose one that has evenly balanced well spaced horns. The spacing of the bases of the horns is crucial to the direction of the adult ram's head. As the ram matures these horn core bases enlarge in cross section and can become so large in diameter they can impair a ram's hearing if they sweep back and around close to the ram's ears. This would also narrow the air space between the horn shaft and the cheek / or jaw bone. The horn will impair proper movement of the jaw or worse, penetrate the cheek and skull. It is for these reasons that only rams , whether two-horned or multiple horned , should be chosen that have wide sweeping horns in two and four-horned and flesh in between upper and lower bases..." Ingrid Painter~ Jacob Sheep In America

Barnaby seems to exemplify the most desired physical traits of a good Jacob Ram!

Red Dog Retrieves!

2009-07-19T23:49:00.000-07:00

O.K. She is not red, but red-gold. Beatrix, my beloved and adoring Labrador retriever ( shown here with my hubby ) is fanatic about retrieving. All my Labs are! Below is a video of Beatrix retrieving a tennis ball from the lake at our family 4th of July celebration. This is one of many, many retrieves and often she swam quite far out into the lake, in the boating lanes, to dutifully retrieve the tennis ball. Beatrix's mother, sister, and fellow canines here at Cedar Pond ALL will throw themselves into any body of water or field to retrieve a mere tennis ball for me. I love my dogs, I love retrievers!

Wheelbarrow Baas

2009-07-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

Oh, the sound of baas in the morning as the sheep await their feeding. If only this were the only time of the day this noise erupts. No, oh no! Every time they hear a wheelbarrow, and I mean EVERY time, they begin this cacophony of baas. Often, with hay in their mouths too.

Oh, the sheep , in their sheepy brains think, " I hear the wheelbarrow! Hay!!!! Baaaa!!!" And baa they do, as you can hear for yourself. Never mind their stomachs and mouths are full, the wheelbarrow is in motion! Kind of like the response a person gets with the sound of opening a candy package in the midst of a throng of children.

Enjoy our Wheelbarrow Baas!

2009-06-23T00:23:00.000-07:00

Swallow Lane Torque, back from the taxidermist and hanging on the wall. Now we can admire his magnificent horns, without being in danger of being killed by them. Doesn't he look majestic?

My husband told the grandchildren the rest of him was in the bathroom behind his head..and they looked for the hindquarters! They are thankful Torque is no longer alive because they had reason to fear Torque, which is the number one reason he no longer lives!

Torque is the father of Cedar Pond's Goth, and Goth is still an average temperament ram. I would never trust him, but he does not trouble himself to try to kill me. As long as he remains a 'typical' ram, he does not need to worry about joining his father on the wall!

Goth's Daughters Venture Out...Wisconsin?

2009-05-30T01:52:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Wisconsin? Yup! ( ewe lamb is from Bide-A-Wee Chicory & Cedar Pond's Goth)

You and your half sister ( Cedar Pond's Leah & Cedar Pond's Goth ) are embarking on an adventure with your new family. You get to help start a flock of Jacob sheep in Wisconsin! I am expecting you young ladies to be every bit as wonderful as your moms and may your sons have the awesome horns of your father, Goth! Be good girls, be productive girls...I will miss you.

Cedar Pond'sVandal

2009-05-20T00:54:00.000-07:00

Cedar Pond's Vandal
born 4/9/2009 ( B013-09)
Cedar Pond's Goth ( D021-06) X bide a wee Chicory ( A087-06)

I took this picture of Vandal today. I am still amazed at his size since he is only 13 months old! Size wise and horn size too, he seems to be taking after his father, Goth. Vandal had a very beautiful and abundant fleece for a lamb too! I wish I could keep him, but he is so related to most of my flock....however, if he lingers here at Cedar Pond I think he will find a way to sire a few lambs in spite of my precautions, which could get him into a lot of trouble with his father.

Cedar Pond's Ruth

2009-05-16T00:50:00.000-07:00

Cedar Pond's Ruth ( A050-08)
Cedar Pond's Goth ( D021-06 ) X Cedar Pond's Naomi (FF025-03)
born 2/4/2008

Ruth is the granddaughter of one of my favorite Jacob sheep, Ruth. Ruth, the grandmother was not registered, and she was pretty ugly. She endeared herself to me by being a sheep that had a sweet personality and a protective nature that lent itself towards protecting 'her' flock. In reading accounts of 'Leader Sheep', I believe Ruth could have been one. I am hoping similar attributes I am seeing in granddaughter Ruth will show her to be very much like her Grandmother. When I see her from afar it is like looking at a prettier version of Ruth. Granddaughter does not have the popped out eye, or antennae like horns of the old Ruth, but has the size and demeanor.

She has 4 horns, but the horns are fused. The two right and two left are becoming as one wide horn. Soon she will appear to have 2 thick horns.

Below is a picture of Ruth and her Mom , Naomi, just after being bathed to go to the fair.

Ruth, dead center, with the other 2008 lambs.

Cedar Pond's Naomi

2009-05-14T01:55:00.000-07:00

Cedar Pond's Naomi (FF025-03) born 2/19/01

( FF025-03)Cedar Pond's Abel (Co83-99) & Cedar Pond's Ruth( unregistered)

~Naomi today. Naomi is the daughter of one of my favorite Jacob sheep, Ruth. Ruth is unregistered and she was originally destined to be culled, or killed , because of her split and popping-out eye. I have no pictures of Ruth even though she is one of my all time favorite sheep. Truthfully, Ruth was just plain ugly. Pop eye, buggy horns, dumpy demeanor and small. Really small. She never topped 60 pounds. Why oh why is she my favorite?

Ruth was just one of those sheep with a sweet personality, and possessed a fierce protective disposition regarding her young and her flock. Ruth would come along side any and all sheep in my flock who needed a protector. Think about it, a 50 pound ewe, protecting lambs and the outcast sheep from other sheep who were twice her size!

Eventually , Ruth produced the epitome of my ideal Jacob Sheep, her daughter Naomi. Perfect horns, disposition, and all around Jacob ideal. Here is Naomi...and I love her.

~This year she gave me a little ewe lamb. ~

Cedar Pond's Leah

2009-05-13T02:37:00.000-07:00

~Cedar Pond's Leah~
Cedar Pond's Benjamin (B014-97) X Cedar Pond's Rachel (B253-97)
born 3/3/99

~Leah is one of those sheep I have just taken for granted. She is always healthy, an easy keeper, reliable. Good mother. In recording this for the blog I realized she is 10 years old! I think she has another 5 to 10 years left in her, easily! Leah often twins, this year she did not, but the ewe lamb she gave me is a keeper.

~Leah is ferocious in her protection of her lambs. She has never had lambing problems either.

~Leah has an average Jacob fleece. ~

~Leah just prior to lambing, soaking up the sunshine on a chilly day.~

~Leah loves apples, all kinds of browse and is very good at hogging the alfalfa. She is now one of the dominant ewes , and this dominance grants her the right to her fill of the best of the alfalfa first. I hope she does live another decade!

Cedar Pond's Abel

2009-05-12T03:00:00.000-07:00

~Isn't he cute ? Abel is on the left , his horns are adorned with blackberry vines! ~

~Abel was oft to be found with greenery in his horns and I wonder of it was deliberate. I don't have any other sheep who will walk around for a day or more strutting green.
~Abel is a triplet, son of maple Creek Joy (B103-92 ) and Cedar Pond's Benjamin (B014-97)~

Maple Creek Joy

2009-05-12T02:43:00.000-07:00

~This is Maple Creek Joy. She was born 2 / 29/ 1992. She is the daughter of Pinecroft Solomon (A081-91) and Pinecroft Judith ( A092-91). Joy was my first Jacob sheep and I bought her from Donna and Lorne Pierson. She lambed the spring after I bought her. Her first lamb here was Cedar Pond's Laban. 3 /10 / 94 ( Ao5-95 )

~Joy lived here until her death at 17 years of age.~

~Joy in the spring of 1999 with her triplets, 2 ewe lambs and a ram lamb. ~ ~ He is Cedar Pond's Abel (Co83-99).

Saying Good Bye to Ram Lamb

2009-04-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

~This is the first lamb to leave home. He went home with a family just starting out with Jacob sheep. They are pretty excited about Jacobs and I sent them home with some information and resources that should be helpful. This ram lamb is a large lamb and his horns are looking pretty good. He is weaned and eating a LOT of alfalfa .....actually able to claim large portions of alfalfa and keep the other lambs and yearling ewes away while he eats his fill. That is why I decided he did not need his mom any more...and I think she is doing better without him, she might disagree. But after 1 day of separation she did not seem too distressed. Neither did he, for he had all the alfalfa he could eat and the best spot around to sleep in.
~The other reason I decided he needed to be sold was because he was butting heads with the wethers and older ewes and I was afraid he would damage his horns. He already knocked the left center horn a bit more sideways in his enthusiastic ramming.It WAS pointing north,like it's partner, perfectly straight! Hopefully he will grow and thrive and be the big ram he seems destined to be.
~His mother is Bide-A-Wee's Buttercup. She is out of one of the Bide-A-Wee ewes and a Huntsberger Ram, Huntsberger Royal. Buttercup is the ewe on the left, her half sister, Chicory is the ewe in the middle. I have a terrible time telling these girls apart, because even though they are only half sisters. They are almost identical in everything! Their lambs are very much alike too! And since they have managed to dislodge most of their I.D. tags I have been relying on older pictures to help make sure I am being accurate in recording data about them. I have never in 20 years had so much trouble telling any of my sheep apart. I keep wondering if it is the Huntsberger line, or if the Bide-A-Wee ewe moms were also identical enough to cause this extreme similarity....anyone know? And it is not just markings that cause me a bit of confusion...their mannerisms, baas, friendliness, etc. contribute to the similarities.

~Here is the lamb's sire, Cedar Pond's Goth. I have no trouble at all identifying him!~

Bunny Love

2009-04-09T01:52:00.000-07:00

~This is Cupcake. We do not know where Cupcake came from. This bunny just showed up one day and moved in with my sheep. Our Granddaughter named the bunny 'Cupcake'.~

~This is Cupcake with Delilah, the lamb of Daphne, the object of Cupcake's affection. Or more correctly, the object of Cupcake's OBSESSION!~

~Cupcake~

Cedar Pond's Vandal

2009-04-06T02:27:00.001-07:00

~Cedar Pond's Vandal. He is just 1 year old and very large for a Jacob yearling. I like his horns and markings. He looks like he has a smile painted on his face.

Jacob Lambs

2009-02-17T01:51:00.000-08:00

~Doesn't this little ewe lamb(above ) look like she has painted a clown face on ? Here are the lambs, frolicking in the afternoon, while their moms are eating. They are so much fun to watch, and they cause me to realize, there is joy in the moment!~

Sheep Midwifery, Good Friends & Neighbors

2009-02-05T23:33:00.000-08:00

~I am holding this little ewe lamb for Hubby to tag her ear and band her tail. She won't like this at all, but as soon as I put her back with her mother she will nurse and in a short while will be as frisky as she ever was. I need to get the new lambs tagged and banded before I take off for the weekend with my sisters. Hubby might need the lambing jugs ( temporary pens for mama and baby sheep for up to 3 days after lambing).I have 2 or 3 more ewes left to lamb and Hubby will probably need to have an empty pen for one or more of them. So as soon as this little ewe settles down after tagging I will release her and her mom out into the general pen, with the other sheep and moms and lambs.
~This morning I looked outside while sipping my coffee and noticed Naomi, one of my older ewes, behaving oddly. She is pushing against the shelter side panel. Hmmm....
~She passed a bit of birth matter and I eagerly awaited the gush of a new lamb ....I waited, and waited. Pretty soon she was laying on the ground and pushing some more. This went on for more than an hour, with intense contractions, grimacing, some baaing, pacing, and then repeating the whole thing again. To no avail. Uh oh.... I am home alone and there is no one to help me hold her, and check her out. But wait !
~ I have the best friends and neighbors....I hope for all of you such friends and neighbors. Dirt's family is wonderful in this kind of pinch! I call and they are home. Even though Lanny is sick, she grabs her girls and rushes right over. Bet and Anna help me corner Naomi, and while I hold her, Bet reaches into Naomi and feels out the situation. The lamb is big, and breech, but Bet is able to carefully manipulate the lamb into a good position and gently ease her out of Naomi. A big ewe lamb!
~Anna suctions the nostrils and inside the mouth, getting out the suffocating mucous, then firmly grabs the lamb and flings her in a circle around her ( Anna's ) head. This helps force the mucous out of the lamb. ( This works for newborn almost suffocatingly dead puppies and baby goats too)The trick to this procedure is to make sure the slippery baby does not fly out of your hands, I usually need to use a towel wrapped around the legs.
~At first, Naomi was tired and did not respond to her lamb. Oh no ! I am going away for the weekend and Hubby will have a bottle baby. I don't want a bottle baby. So we left the lamb and mom for a few minutes. When I came back, Naomi was cleaning her baby off....hip hip hooray!
~The baby was very noisy, baaing a lot, but not up and around. So I gave her some Nutri Drench, which is a nutritional supplement especially for distressed lambs, goats, sheep....and then I stood her up. She wobbled, and wavered, but she remained standing. She is going to be O.K.

~I am so thankful this did not happen while I was gone. I am so thankful my friend and her daughters could be here to help. I am so thankful the lamb and her mama are fine.~

~ I have kept Jacob sheep for about 18 years now and have only had to assist 3 or 4 sheep in all these years. Naomi is one of my favorite ewes and I would have been very, very sad to lose her and any of her lambs. Naomi is the daughter of one of my favorite ewes, Ruth. I will tell of Ruth sometime later. I loved Ruth......and now that Naomi is getting older I want to keep a pretty ewe lamb from her...

"There are numerous breeds of multiple horned sheep throughout the world. Of the eighteen breeds mentioned by A.R. Werner in 'An Enquiry into the Origin of the Piebald or Jacob Sheep", thirteen of them are known to have the polycerate trait ( many horns ). Many of the spotted, horned breeds of Europe had become extinct by the turn of the 20th century." JACOB SHEEP IN AMERICA by Ingrid Painter

Blessings: Good friends, healthy lambs AND their mothers

Spotted Lambs...( baby Jacob Sheep )

2009-02-05T02:29:00.000-08:00

~Isn't this little guy cute ? His mom is Bide-A-Wee's Buttercup and his dad is Cedar Pond's Goth.

~Here he is with his mom.~

~Cedar Pond's Leah delivered her little ewe lamb this morning ( Feb. 4 ) as I was outside in my slippers and robe with my mug of coffee enjoying the unseasonably warm and sunny winter morning.~

~Leah has 4 horns. She is one of my older ewes and a very good mother. She usually twins, so this year should be a piece of cake for her, one little , healthy ewe. Goth is also the father of this lamb.~

~Mama nurses her cleaned off and healthy new lamb. This is one of the sights that make my heart sing, new life and good mamas, little lambs full of the joy of life.~

Spotted Lamb, First of the New Year 2009

2009-02-02T01:11:00.000-08:00

~Here is the first lamb of 2009 ! Isn't she cute ?~

~Her mother is Bide-A-Wee Chicory from Karen Lobb and Doug Montgomery's flock in Oregon.~

~This is Cedar Pond's Vandal, Chicory's ram lamb from late last spring. His father is Swallow Lane Torque.~

~This is Cedar Pond's Goth. He is also the son of Swallow Lane Torque, and the half brother of Vandal, and the father of the first lamb of the new year.~

Look ! She's Already Pointing !

2009-01-04T22:46:00.000-08:00

~Look, little Peppi is already pointing! What did I say, I know she was a smart dog. Thanks for the picture Dan and Carol.~

Red Puppy Updates !

2009-01-04T22:27:00.000-08:00

This is my little Pipsqueak, now renamed Peppi by the family that loves her !~~Look, she is learning how to hunt with Dan, the new man in her life!~

~Looks like little Peppi and Dan have already bonded. These pictures just melt my heart, and they show that little Peppi is living the ideal life for Vizsla / Lab!~

~Look at the joy of bounding puppy feet and flapping ears...and the intensity in the expression on her little face~

~This picture is so beautiful to me.~

~A red puppy walking through the woods with someone who loves her. The kind of day any person or dog would be happy in, especially together. I am assuming Carol is there too, enjoying the day, I think she snapped the pictures. Great pictures!~

~The DePoppe's red puppy is now named Clifford. Jeff DePoppe said "seems housebroken and he barks when he wants to go out." Wonderful! Look the DePoppe's daughters' face, I think she likes Clifford.~

~And Clifford lives with another dog, a furry friend, and they get along.~

~Thank-you for the pictures and the updates. Makes me happy.~

Red Puppies All Go Home!

2009-01-02T00:34:00.000-08:00

~This is little Gavin and his new puppy. They chose to take home one of the little girl puppies. They e-mailed me this and 2 other pictures that make me very happy the puppy has a wonderful home. Thank-you!~This is the DePoppe family, Dad and big brother are not in this picture. They chose to take home one of the boy puppies. This was a nice surprise because Mrs. De Poppe and our daughter knew one another from their home schooling years and we were glad to do a little catching up on how their family was doing.

~Obviously the little one in a mid-action shot will be a great playmate for a puppy, lots of energy all around!This puppy looks mighty content to be held here.

~My daughter, grandson Little J. and dear friend Anna are snuggling my little heart-breaker, Pipsqueak.
~Pipsqueak spent quite a bit of time with us inside last night as we celebrated the new year. I had made up my mind she was going to stay here with me, I was already trying to decide where to place a puppy crate, what name I would settle on for her, and how to go about training her for agility, then.......
~As we were moving sheep around today and repairing fence damaged by our ram, a truck pulled into the driveway. We were not expecting anyone at this time and I was wearing my work pajamas.(What ? You don't have work pajamas?Mine are red flannel pants with reindeer on them.) Anyway, the lady shown here(below) had a dream they went for a drive and she recalls in the dream the general area of the road, and in the dream they drove home with a puppy, but she did not see the puppy in her dream. Here is where the story gets even more interesting.......
~It turns out that her husband remembered as they were driving sown the road that they had bought a puppy from the people living here abut 20 years ago, and by the way, were we those people? This couple did not know we had puppies for sale, did not even expect to be looking at puppies.( Hey, we did not plan on having any more puppies either. ) Well, yes, we had sold Labrador retriever puppies then, and for many more years, and by the way, we have puppies that are related to the puppy they had 20 years ago.
~Look at my little Pipsqueak with them. How could I not let them take her home when they had been led here by a dream? And they knew how to love and train a smart puppy like Pipsqueak and wanted her so very much ? The Heryford family took my little Pipsqueak, and I am sad. I already miss her tonight, but as I look around me right now, I have 3 yellow Labs snoring at my feet. Two of them are Pipsqueaks' half sisters. I have Pipsqueaks' mother, father, and Aunt also....would I do little P. justice if she is one of 7 dogs? She is so much better off as the special dog in a family. Thank-you Daniel and Carol Heryford. Love the picture pf Little P. nuzzling your ear!

Also, I had prayed about keeping her. I was sure I should keep her, and thought her intelligence and activity would deter anyone from taking her home. I made sure everyone knew she was special, and needed just the right home...well I think( know ) God answered my prayer by providing just the right people to drive down our driveway.And my red pajamas did not scare them off either.
~Here are 3 of the Bundick family( above ). They went home with another of the boy pups. The puppy seems pretty content, and he too has young people to play with him, and grow with him and love him. I am so thankful for that.
~Just after the Bundick family drove off,the Gibson family drove down the driveway with their twin boys. The boys were delightful and they have an older brother too. Red puppy has 3 boys to play with!I am so happy these puppies have homes that seem perfect for them. I hope these puppies provide the joy and memories our first Vizsla / Lab gave us as our children grew up. Sugar was the best dog, we still miss her, and were blessed because she was part of our family.

Note: the first puppy who went is now named Remington. She is mostly house broken her owner says.Yay!

Gavin named his puppy Swimmer. He settled on that name the day he was here. I think the puppy whispered in his ear about her name, because Gavin did not waver in name choice!

Happy puppy days to all of you and thank-you very much! Jim and Kathy B.

Red Puppies

2008-12-29T23:58:00.000-08:00

~Above, the 3 boy pups. Brothers.....brothers who wrestle, snuggle and play together. As you can see, only one male puppy has a black nose. The other 2 have Vizsla noses. ~

~Brothers with red noses !~

~Here is another picture of the other brother....Darrell, Darrell and Darrell ? ~

~This is the only female puppy left(below). I call her Pipsqueak. She is a healthy and very active puppy. She is the smallest and most active puppy in the litter. Her sisters , who have gone to new homes, were bigger and much more calm puppies than her. Pipsqueak was the first puppy to climb and jump her way out of the puppy box. Pipsqueak is the only puppy to have climbed out of the puppy shed. Pipsqueak can climb out of the puppy house, jump and run to the gate of the puppy pen before I can get to the gate. Do you see what I am intending you to see about her ?

Pipsqueak is very intelligent, very active, very agile. She is also very eager to be at my side. She is more inquisitive than the average dog. She is an Alpha female dog. She is not aggressive at all, but she needs the right home. A home that will obedience train her and put her energy and intelligence to work. Fortunately her Labrador and Vizsla genes have made her very eager to please, but a puppy like her, left alone to her own devices for long periods of time, well.....she could get into all kinds of mischief and cause a lot of problems. She will be a great agility dog, or walking / running partner, hiker, etc. But she is a dog who needs an active and firm family, then she could be a dog you would never dream you could be without!
~Pipsqueak is very much like our beloved and much missed Sugar. Our Lab/ Vizsla , the dog our children grew up with. The dog of a lifetime.The dog we still miss, and did not appreciate fully until she was gone. Because we have Pipsqueak's mother and two older sisters, we cannot keep her....but she can only go to a home that will do her, and themselves, justice in her training.
~The puppies had their 3rd worming last Friday, their 2nd puppy shot on Saturday. There are 3 males and Pipsqueak left out of the 6 puppies. Please call us at 360-458-2583, or e-mail us at jkcedarpond@fairpoint.net if you're interested.

Puppies and Grandchildren Play

2008-12-26T12:40:00.000-08:00

~These pictures were taken December 23rd.~~#1 Grandson, #2 Granddaughter and (below) #5 Granddaughter play with the puppies in the snow. They all had fun.~

~Red puppies exploring and sniffing and tasting everything.~

~#2 Granddaughter just cannot contain her joy when playing with the puppies.~

~The grandchildren spent the night with us. Time to bake Christmas cookies, play games and do crafts...and of course we played with the puppies indoors too !~

~What did I say...#2 Granddaughter just cannot contain her joy when playing with the puppies!~

~#5 Granddaughter cuddles the puppies while watching Christmas Specials.~

~Grandchildren and puppies ......fun for me!~

Snow Days For Red Dogs

2008-12-25T22:42:00.001-08:00

~Beatrix, Willow, Sienna, Mabel, Misty...come on girls, let's play!~

~Oh boy....we're gonna play! Maybe there'll be tennis balls !~

~O.K. girls, now behave yourselves and no knocking me over in the snow. Willow, in front, is the puppies half sister. She and Beatrix are AKC registered Labs. The next dog, is Sienna. The pups mother. She is 8 1/2 years old. The white dog is Misty. Misty is almost 13 years old and is blind. She has cataracts. She doesn't know she is blind. She still plays and retrieves using her sense of smell. The dog in the back is Beatrix. She is Willows' full sister from another litter. These girls love to hang around me, and they love to retrieve. But we don't play unless they follow the rules. Chaos and mayhem , plus BIG dogs is a formula for accidents and disaster. So no matter how excited the dogs get, they have to behave and still listen to me!

~O.K. ! Let's play on the ice. Sienna, Willow and Beatrix all try to beat each other to the stick they want to retrieve.~

~Mama Sienna beats the younger girls almost every time! Where's Mabel ?~

~Oh, here she comes !~

~Whoosh...slippy-slide, there she goes! Mabel is Sienna's full sister, from an older litter. Mabel is 10 years old.

~Sienna slips on the ice as she dashes and slides out to retrieve.~

~She got the stick!~

~Daughter Beatrix and she get to the next retrieve the same time but....

~Mama Sienna comes up the winner most times ! Way to go Sienna.~

Red Puppy Has a Home !

2008-12-22T01:04:00.001-08:00

~Thank-you Rachelle ! This little red puppy has a home. I think she has a good home, and just in time for Christmas. ~

~Isn't she cute ?~

Snow Puppies!

2008-12-20T02:33:00.000-08:00

~The puppies seem to like their first venture onto the snow.~

~They are curious about everything now.~

~This puppy comes running to me every time I call her.~

~Tasting snow, and a snow mustache!~

~Half-sister to the puppies, Beatrix, waiting for me to throw a tennis ball.~

~Sienna, puppies' mom, at the far left,shown with two of her daughters, half sisters to the pups. Willow and Beatrix. All three dogs are waiting for me to throw a tennis ball.I have never been able to wear them out doing this.....~

~Mama Sienna retrieving on ice.~

~This puppy is concentrating on another puppy, waiting to pounce!~

Red Puppies are Growing Up!

2008-12-17T23:58:00.000-08:00

~The puppies today. They can almost get out of the shelter by themselves.~

~I gave then a rope toy a few days ago and enjoy watching them play tug-o-war with each other. When Sienna jumped into the fray to play with them. Mommy dog would grab the rope, swing it in front of the puppies and encourage them to play with her and each other.
~I gave the puppies a peanut butter scented tennis ball to play with today. The biggest male puppy grabbed the ball and went into the corner with it. He growled at the tennis ball and rolled around with it. I think he likes it.
~There are three males and three females. I hope they get new homes soon because I am very tempted to keep one, and we have quite enough grown dogs for awhile...but maybe......?

Red Puppies' Health Record

2008-12-15T01:20:00.000-08:00

~Health Record of Red Puppies~

The puppies were born October 30, 2008
Puppies were dew-clawed and had their tails docked the Tuesday after they were born.

Puppies were wormed with NEMEX - 2 ( pyrantel pamoate ) 11/29/2008 and 12 /14/2008, wormed again 12/27/2008
Puppies were vaccinated with Ft.Dodge Puppy shot without Lepto, 12/14/2008

Red Puppies' Parents

2008-12-13T01:22:00.000-08:00

~Hawk and J.B. , the object of Hawk's affection and adoration.~~Sienna, panting after a retrieving a tennis ball and not wanting to sit still for a photograph.~

~Hawk is the puppies' sire, and Sienna their dam.~

More Red Puppy Pictures

2008-12-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

Below are pictures from December 6, 2008 when the grandchildren were playing with the puppies. The puppies and grandkids interact well. We are hoping these puppies will get homes that bring them into family life, as Vizslas and Labradors thrive on human companionship and are very eager-to-please dogs!

The puppies are tired and still have full tummies from their meal. Apparently Grandson's lap and under his legs is the desired resting spot, as the puppies began piling around and under him, and falling to sleep.

Red Puppies

2008-12-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

Puppies are more active now. These pictures were taken November 18, 2008.

They are getting so big that Sienna is almost unable to nurse them laying down.

They excitedly eat their puppy chow now, no leftovers.

Miss Marple is very interested in them.

She is curious about the puppies. As you can see, the puppies are exposed to house cats and other dogs, as well as kitchen noises, ringing phones, pet cockatiel, and T.V.

They are more fun to watch and play with now.

The puppies are aware of activity and people outside their little puppy bed.

When it is nap time they ALL flop down and sleep deeply. I bet Moms with a lot of children wish all their kids would willingly nap at the same time!

Grandchildren hold the puppies.

Sisters hold sister puppies.

Aren't they cute ?

Red Puppies Grow Fast

2008-12-10T18:34:00.000-08:00

The puppies are growing fast. These pictures were taken November 17, 2008. They are still in the kiddie pool filled with shredded paper, in the kitchen, near the dishwasher and the hub bub of kitchen activity.
The puppies have just begun to drink water from a bowl and lick a little puppy food that has been soaked in warm water til very soft.
The puppies are also beginning to play with each other. It is funny to watch them play, then all of a sudden just drop off to sleep, mid-play!
Sienna is still nursing them and keeping them and their puppy bed very, very clean. We supplement Sienna's diet with our farm fresh eggs, cooked chicken and some home grown mutton.

We Want to Play Too !

2008-12-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

From left to right : Misty, Beatrix, Willow, and Hawk all look on wistfully from the porch as we play with puppies. They want to play too !

Here you can see some of the color range in Yellow Labs. Sienna, who is not shown is almost as red as the only Vizsla, on the far right. Misty is almost white ,sisters Beatrix and Willow, daughters of Sienna, are the yellow most typical of Yellow Labs.

Red Puppies !

2008-12-10T01:47:00.001-08:00

The day before Halloween our red dog, an AKC registered yellow Labrador Retriever named Sienna, gave birth to her litter of 6 puppies. Yes, I said our RED dog, a Yellow Lab. The color yellow in Labrador retrievers runs from fox red to white.....obviously our Sienna is at the darker end of the yellow spectrum for Labradors. We think she is rather pretty. The father of this litter is our AKC registered Vizsla , Hawk. A red father, and a red mother make 6 red puppies !

Aren't they cute ?

Our cat, Miss Marple checks them out...what are they ? Rats...big mice...rabbits?.....

Sienna is a very good and attentive mother with plenty of milk. After feeding her pups she cleans them well.

Grandchildren play with the puppies.