Livin' The Dream Farm

09/11/2026

09/11/2026

I so hungeeeey mom

09/11/2026

Jody keeps getting stronger every day

Daily magnawave treatments along with massage and stretching are helping straighten his neck out. I’m sure he’s gonna have some permanent damage but not nearly as much as I had originally thought

09/10/2026

As if being sick wasn’t bad enough… 🤧

I somehow managed to get stung by a bee in the armpit. 🐝😩

I’m mildly allergic to bee stings, so apparently today needed just a little more excitement.

Because congestion, sore throat, and feeling like garbage clearly weren’t enough. 😂

09/10/2026

Why must we eat like this

09/09/2026

Conway loves when there are storms in be forecast!!!!

09/09/2026

How old is too old to train a livestock guardian dog?

In my opinion, there really isn’t an age where you just stop trying.

I think successful LGD training is less about age and more about understanding the dog in front of you—their natural tendencies, instincts, quirks, triggers, and what they were bred to do—and then working with those things instead of constantly fighting against them.

Does a bite history automatically mean a dog is a lost cause?

Normally, no.

It means you need to understand the dog, respect what they are capable of, put safety measures in place, and set them up for success. At my farm, I have signage warning people not to enter or reach into areas where LGDs are working without an es**rt. That is part of responsible management.

Shirley is now almost 9 years old. She is an Anatolian Shepherd with a bite history, she did not respect electric fencing, and she was terrible with livestock.

And yet, she is still learning.

She is currently working on a tire drag and continuing to improve how she interacts with livestock and how she responds to their movement.

Will Shirley ever be the kind of dog I can toss a brand-new animal in with and assume everything will be fine?

Absolutely not.

She requires a relatively long introduction so she can understand that the new animal belongs there and that her job is to protect it—not challenge it.

But that does not mean she cannot improve.

Sometimes training an LGD is not about turning them into a completely different dog.

Sometimes it is about understanding exactly who they are, managing the risks, building on their strengths, and teaching them how to make better decisions.

Old dogs can absolutely learn. They may just need a training plan that respects the dog they have already become.

Have you ever successfully retrained or redirected an older livestock guardian dog?

09/09/2026

🐴 What are equine “heaves”?

Heaves, or equine asthma, is much like asthma in people. The horse’s airways become inflamed and narrowed, often in response to things like dust, mold, pollen or other environmental triggers.

Symptoms: coughing, wheezing, nasal discharge, flared nostrils, and increased or labored breathing.

🌿 Management: lots of fresh air/turnout, reducing dust and mold, soaking or steaming hay, low-dust bedding, and sometimes medications or antihistamines.

For our horse, our vet recommended Zyrtec (cetirizine) twice daily for two weeks, then once daily for maintenance.

Just like human asthma, equine asthma isn’t automatically a death sentence or a reason to retire a horse from riding. It’s a condition that needs to be managed, monitored, and adjusted as needed. Many horses continue living active lives and being ridden.

Always work with your veterinarian on medication and dosing.

09/09/2026

A giant pile of FREE wood chips may not excite everyone, but around here this is a pretty big score! 😂🦚

We’ve been steadily improving and expanding the peacock pen. What used to be about 10’ × 40’ is now roughly 15’ × 45’, so they have quite a bit more outdoor space to enjoy.

We also brought in dirt and regraded along the barn because the base had become bare and exposed. Now we’re adding wood chips over the area to help finish it off and make the pen look more complete.

And we aren’t done yet! We’re still building vegetation boxes that will have fencing over the top so plants can grow through while the peacocks can’t uproot them or kill them by constantly walking on them. 😂 Hopefully that gives them some greenery while still protecting the plants long enough to actually survive.

For now, it’s lots of little ATV-and-wagon trips from this giant pile to the pen. Farm projects are definitely not glamorous, but I LOVE seeing a space improve little by little.

What would YOU plant in protected vegetation boxes for peacocks? 🌿🦚

09/09/2026

Boone and Temperance