Sheep season arrived on the Snake River about one month ago. Watching the shepherds, sheep dogs and Pyrenees dogs work the flocks up and down the mesas is a sight to behold. I cannot express how much respect and admiration I have for working dogs. They have incredible instincts. Sometimes I wonder about who founded working dog breeds. Do you ever wonder about that? For example, who the heck decided to selectively breed the dachshund — a ferocious, weasel-shaped dog with great scenting capability for badger hunting? I know I could google the answer to this question but sometimes I prefer to let my imagination go a little wild. This is to say, I think all dogs are wonderful and mutts are marvelous and adopting homeless animals is noble and beautiful but there’s also something to be said for being partnered with a specific working breed. The working dog breeds are made of magic stuff! They have the instincts and skills to do a certain job in partnership with humans and they do that job well and with passion. They don’t quit. It’s inspiring to watch.
Springtime is sighing all along the river these days. I’ve been traveling for work for a couple weeks and while the photography gigs have been great and challenging, I have lightly regretted being away from the farm while things are blooming and our critters are growing. You’re not going to believe how gigantic the ducks have become. One of our little turkeys has started to display and prance about the turkey brooder (it’s so macho). The kittens are getting rambunctious. And while everything has been growing and blooming, we’ve had some tremendous visits with friends, dinners with neighbors and marvelous sunsets on the tails of stormy squalls. What a beautiful time of year.
I hope it’s gorgeous where you are.
It is quite beautiful where I am today. Spring just might be my favorite season in Texas. Speaking of dachshunds, I took my son to the Weiner-Dog races yesterday. It is quite a big production for our neighboring town. Those little guys are a hoot to watch. 😄 I would love to see sheep herding season in its full glory with my own eyes. Until then…Thanks for sharing.
Oh my gosh. There’s a weenie dog festival in a little town in the state of Washington and I always meant to take Penelope while we were living in the Methow Valley during the fire season. I bet it was hilarious!!!
We have a friend who runs a rescue for Great Pyres. I love that she evaluates each dog and adopts out for pet and working farms. How wonderful that they are respected for their contribution. I am glad that they are not asked to be anything more or less than they are. Love you notes and observations as always…
“…respected for their contribution.” What a great way to phrase it.
What are those lights in the fourth pic Jillian? Looks very other-worldly! Thanks for the dog pics though, we had a great pyranees and a newfie growing up and they were amazing dogs – my parents would leave me with them at the dock while they went by boat to set up camp in the Adirondacks, and then come back to get me and the dogs (couldn’t fit all of us in one trip) – never had to worry about my safety with those 2 around, my big ol teddy bear dogs! 🙂
Those little lights are simply sun flares — they happen in photography when you shoot into the sun.
The Great Pyres are such amazing watchdogs. I don’t doubt that your parents left you in very good paws!
sheep in vermont are blissing out on the spring “hydroponic” new green grass…appreciating the same and the different from here to there
They’re like that here, too. EXCEPT, they’re also blissing out over noxious, invasive weeds. Did you know that some of those weeds are like candy for them out on the range? Mob grazing these big 400-500 animal herds is SO good for our public lands. It’s one of the reasons I am always thrilled to see sheep out on the range like this. I call out to them, “Clean it all up, kiddos!!!”
Spring is beautiful in western Oregon right now. It’s been an unusually cold spring here, which has slowed the normally rambunctious growth and things are blooming and emerging slowly, which gives us more time to appreciate it all. I can imagine you wouldn’t want to be away from your farm for long, what a treat it must be. Some of your shots look like they’re shot on film! The sheep especially, they have that lovely film quality.
It’s been cold here, too, with such bitter winds. Yesterday it was 75F at the farm and it felt so HOT to me. I could barely tolerate it.
Thanks for saying some of these shots look like film! 🙂
I love mutts but if I ever wanted a dog for hunting or herding I would definitely look into getting a working dog breed. We had rescue weimaraners growing up. They were lazy house dogs who thought they were human but when we took them for hikes their instincts would kick in and they would point at game in the bush. We never trained them to be hunting dogs but it was in their blood.
It’s totally in their blood, the instincts go deep and it’s completely thrilling to watch in the field. I always tell folks that when it comes to gun dogs, you’re really just training them to be in partnership with you in the field, they already know how to trail, stalk and hold game — that part is instinctual.
How have I lived 55 years on this earth, and never have seen the beauty of your part of the US? Shameful! That’s why I feel so blessed to have found your little home on web. Spring is a-popping here in Western MA – just in time for a frost tonight. I cut some lilacs from my bushes yesterday.
I love those Great Pyrs. There is a woman who walks her Great Pyr past work every day, and his name Bullwinkle. Cracked me up hearing his name for the first time.
I love everything you do!
Oh yeah! You’ve got to visit! Idaho is so beautiful and so wild…we have a tremendous amount of public land in this part of the nation and Idaho isn’t crowded yet…we’re like 20 years behind Montana when it comes to development. It’s wonderful.
Thanks for being here! Give Bullwinkle a scratch on the nose for me.