Two dogs in the vineyardA few weeks ago our sheep, now 80+ in number, invited some friends to live with them. Well, I call them friends, but they are protectors, muscle, bodyguards, you get it. Their names are Nymeria and Ghost and they are Great Pyrenees / Maremma cross. They seem adorable and they are quite playful, with each other and with human visitors, but let’s face it, they have a job to do. They know it and we know it. Across the fence from our sheep and their unwitting lambs, lurk coyotes (and perhaps other predators) licking their chops at the prospect of lamb dinner. Nymeria and Ghost will have none of that. They patrol the fence line marking their territory and, if all works according to plan, keeping predators at bay. My one concern is, have we unleashed a war of escalation? Will the coyotes bring in even bigger muscle? If they do, how will the sheep respond. Will the skirmish cross the border in to our neighbors’ properties? With any luck the coyotes will stand down and content themselves with gophers and squirrels. But as you know from watching cartoons, coyotes are nothing if not persistent. The worry continues.
More later…