Jack's New Home on the Goat Farm

Reader Contribution by Janice Spaulding
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Stony Knolls Farm has a new farm dog! This adventure has been so exciting that I can’t help but share it. First a little background. Farming is not always just about chickens, pigs, cows, and goats, there are many more aspects to farming then just the common place livestock that you associate with a farm! Dogs and even cats have a pivotal role to play, often times behind the scenes.

Way back in 2000 we adopted a two year old, Flat Coated Retriever named Gabriel. Gabe was a rescue who came to us from a vet

tech, in Massachusetts. He had been surrendered at the vet’s office because the owners children had wrapped pea stones in treats and fed them to the dog. His intestines and stomach were damaged and he needed not only extensive surgery, but a new loving home where he could recuperate and be loved like he deserved to be. Gabe was the best dog in the whole wide world. He loved our goats, kept wild critters away from our farm, thought Goat School was created just for him, and in general kept us all entertained. But, unfortunately, dogs get old. We don’t want them to, but we can’t stop it from happening. In August of 2010 our precious Gabriel died. We were broken hearted to say the least, our buddy was gone. I’m sure that he’s in heaven, probably driving everyone crazy playing fetch the ball and Frisbee.

It took a long time before we were ready to replace our beloved Gabe, but finally a few weeks ago we felt it was time. When you live on 28 acres consisting primarily of woodland, the varmints are difficult to keep at bay. We have never felt it necessary to keep a livestock dog within our goat fencing, but it certainly is nice to have not only a walking buddy, but a pooch who can keep the wildlife away from gardens, away from the goat fencing and keep the place a little safer in general. This past fall we trapped 8 or 9 woodchucks, 2 very smelly skunks (one of which left a distinct odor in our truck thanks to stepping in the scent), we’ve seen fox after fox around the property, and every time it snows, so many tracks that we always have our “Scat and Track Guide” out trying to identify yet another visitor.

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