Waiting for Spring… and Puppies!

Feb 183 min read

Winter was in full swing this year with January being a month full of ice and snow.

Something we don’t usually get to enjoy in the long term here in the south. Typically we get a little cold and snow for a few days followed by a week of warmth and rain only to have it freeze back up and thaw again. The up and down of the thermometer can be a bit frustrating. You never can remember if you need to give yourself an extra 15 to warm up the car and scrape the windshield or put on a t-shirt before heading out. Our kids enjoyed the extra days to sled and ski (or snowboard) and I don’t complain when they track in snow instead of mud. At least they are OUTSIDE!

But now spring is springing. Mud has taken over everything. I have completely given up on the floor. I’ll mop in April. And as we wait we decided to try our hand at maple syrup making (yes, it can be done in the south!). We did it years ago and haven't tried to since. It's a fun project but the fluctuating tumperatures here make it challenging to get a whole lot. Expeciatlly when it takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup!

We’re gearing up for soccer season to start as the skiing that barely started is now pretty much over! And we ordered chicks for the first time in years! It will be exciting to start a fresh flock and a fresh new chicken run.

But the most exciting thing to wait for this spring is puppies! Yes, Lucy and Hamish did it again. A visit to the vet confirmed she is full and ready to have the sweet little bundles in early March.

And while we’re on the subject of puppies, I’ll take a moment to introduce our newest puppy, Zeke, out of Goshen Highlands Farm in Georgia.

I have been on the lookout for my own male to serve as a stud for the future of our program, watching various litters as they hit the ground. I got excited about a few but none of them really stood out to me.

Then I saw these little guys pop up. Their genetics are phenomenal, the lines coming through Chesney’s Robbie (sire) and Northcutt’s Doug (dam). A preservation litter. And not only that but the dogs themselves sounded equally outstanding. Mama Lou is a portrait of the legendary Lassie from all the old storybooks - brave, instinctive, protective and attentive to her farm and family.

Cedar Hill Farms Beth of Goshen Highlands

Lou's registry:

https://registry.scotchcollie.org/details.php?id=67667

Papa Laddie has won awards for his feats as a service dog and is an outstanding family dog.

**Holbrook Homestead Brown's Ole Scotch Laddie**

Here is the registry info for Laddie:

https://registry.scotchcollie.org/details.php?id=65183

And here is a video on both and the reasons why Goshen Highlands chose these dogs to sire this litter.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19xXZoEnPh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

And what really sealed the deal was the fact that Greg Northcutt himself came down to purchase a puppy as his new dam. If these puppies interested him than this litter was one to take notice of.

Needless to say, I’m very excited about our new little guy and I can’t wait to watch him develop into a great dog. I’m already impressed by how quickly he is learning. Sit, stay, down, and leave-it he has down pretty well…unless he’s feeling stubborn. He does have a bit of a stubborn streak this one! But we’re getting there. And I can see that he's inherited his mama’s herding instincts as he can already hold our goats in one place. I’m looking forward to see what else he’ll demonstrate as he gets older. It took Lucy a few weeks to adjust to the new addition - I was a bit worried that she would be jealous. And she was at first. But she seems to have resigned herself to the fact that he appears to be staying. I catch her occasionally enjoying his company but she is careful to make sure we know that she is still top dog.