Meet Lano and Woodley our Maremma poultry guardian dogs. They are a critical part of protecting the flock of chickens , ducks ,turkeys, and geese from predators. Over the years we have lost many birds to foxes and our local family of Wedge Tailed Eagles. Since these boys made our farm their home at 12 weeks old, no such losses.
Animals and young people, with a lot of hard work in between, are a winner! All our animals make a significant contribution to introducing joy back into the lives of many young people who may have suffered both sexual and physical abuse, or neglect. When we make ourselves vulnerable and make a connection with another human being or animal we take a chance that this relationship will always be positive. On the farm we go to great lengths to ensure the interaction with our animals is safe for both the young person and the animal.
A traditional farm is full of lots of new births, especially at this time of the year, and sometimes deaths of animals. These times can give us opportunities to talk around these experiences, with a young person. Sadly we lost a much loved horse Joey this week, we believe to a rapid onset cancer. His quiet gentle nature brought joy to many hundreds of young people and we were very fond of him.
