The Phone Call I Didn’t See Coming (And Needed More Than I Knew)

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Hi Reader,

I need to tell you about a phone call I got on Tuesday, but first I have to back up and tell you about the few minutes right before it.

Why I Almost Wanted to Quit Breeding Maremma Sheepdogs This Week

​I’ve written before about how this job isn’t all puppy kisses and rainbows. It’s not just the daily grind of feeding, cleaning, whelping, and worrying — I’ve made my peace with that part. It’s the stuff that comes out of nowhere. A bad piece of news, a rough moment, an unexpected vet bill, one of those days where something happens and you think, why am I even doing this?

Tuesday was one of those days. I won’t get into the details, but for a few minutes I was right on the edge of a full meltdown, standing in my house with nobody home to talk me down.

What Missing My Grandson’s Birthday Taught Me About This Business

That “why am I doing this” feeling isn’t new, if I’m honest. Not long ago I had three Maremma Discovery calls scheduled back-to-back — each one an hour or more, so I was on the phone for the better part of an afternoon. Meanwhile, it was one of my grandson’s birthdays. He lives across the country, so I couldn’t have been there in person anyway, but I would have loved to FaceTime with him, and with my son, who’d just gotten home from a nearly year-long deployment. By the time I got off the phone, it was too late — they were already asleep for the night.

None of those three calls turned into a placement, by the way. Most of the time when that happens, it’s exactly what it looks like — someone doing their research, genuinely interested, just not quite ready yet. I’m glad to be that person for people. It’s part of why I write this email every week.

But if I’m honest, at least one of those calls that day was probably something else. There are people who call specifically to get their questions answered — fencing height, how to introduce a puppy to livestock, all the specific, nitty-gritty stuff that most breeders either can’t or won’t walk them through — with no real intention of ever buying from me. They take what I teach them and go find a cheaper puppy somewhere else, often from someone who never would have told them any of that in the first place. I don’t say that to complain, and I’m not about to start gatekeeping information or charging for my Maremma discovery calls. I want every Maremma Sheepdog out there to succeed, no matter who bred it. But on a day when I’d already given up time with my own family for calls like that, it’s worth naming.

I bring this up because people love to imagine breeders sitting on piles of money, running some kind of puppy factory. The truth is the opposite. I have sixteen grandchildren I don’t get nearly enough time with, largely because of this business. I can’t just hop on a plane to see family across the country, because there are dogs, goats and other animals that need me here on the farm. This work costs something. It’s not just time or money — it’s the other parts of life you have to say no to.

Then Tom Called About Jimmy

So there I was, mid-meltdown, when I got a text from Tom: “When you have a minute, I’d like to talk to you about Jimmy.”

If you’ve been reading a while, you know Tom and his wife Cindi. They’re Jimmy’s people — a companion Maremma Sheepdog living his best life in a Southern California neighborhood alongside their golden retriever, Gidget. Tom texts me like this every so often, always wanting to catch up by phone instead of text. The first couple of times he did it, I panicked a little, assuming something was wrong. Now I know better. It just means I’m about to get an earful of how much he loves that dog — and honestly, yesterday, it was exactly what I needed.

What Life Looks Like for a Companion Maremma Sheepdog Named Jimmy

Tom and I talked for almost an hour, and by the end I was laughing so hard I forgot what had upset me in the first place.

He told me about the day the pool guy and the gardener showed up at the same time. Jimmy decided Miguel, the pool guy, was the best person alive — greeted him like an old friend. Jorge, the gardener, got a very different welcome. Jimmy grabbed him gently by the sleeve and gave him what Tom calls “the guided tour, Jimmy style” — walking him around the entire property before losing interest and going back to bother Miguel, who Jimmy proceeded to kiss on the ear until he was laughing too hard to keep skimming the pool.

He told me Jimmy has claimed the alley behind their house as his own — he’s learned which cars belong and which don’t, and he sits at the front landing for an hour at a time just watching the street. Since Jimmy moved in, the coyotes that used to bother the neighborhood haven’t come back.

And he told me about Boo, a neighbor’s tiny rescue dog who got attacked by a husky at a friend’s property over the holiday. Tom’s takeaway: that husky is lucky Jimmy wasn’t there. Jimmy adores Boo. (Boo’s owners take Jimmy and Gidget on regular walks with Boo, which is so sweet.) Tom is completely convinced Jimmy would have stepped in and defended his little buddy. And I absolutely agree.

Oh, and Jimmy is closing in on 29 inches at the shoulder and has crossed the 100-pound mark. He’s from Pax and Electra’s November 2025 litter, so he just turned 8 months old. 😳 Tom describes him as the most athletic large dog he’s ever owned — full-speed zoomies down the driveway and into the alley, ten laps at a time, just because he can.

Get Them Young: Tom’s Case for Puppies Over Older Dogs

One thing Tom kept circling back to: he’s convinced people are cheating themselves when they pass over puppies for an older, “easier” dog. He and Cindi got Jimmy at 12 weeks, and Tom says the bonding, the personality-watching, the silliness — none of that is replaceable once a dog is grown.

And honestly, Tom said out loud something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, after all the Maremma discovery calls I’ve had: so many people assume a puppy is “too much work” and go looking for an older dog instead, thinking it’ll be easier. But a well-bred, properly socialized puppy that comes with lifetime breeder and trainer support really isn’t that much work — and what you get in return is so worth it.

There are absolutely cases where an older dog is the better fit for a particular home. But older dogs come with much more specific needs. They need exactly the right household, exactly the right circumstances, and they have a much harder time adjusting to change than people expect. Most homes honestly aren’t equipped for that kind of transition, even with the best of intentions.

For most people, a puppy young enough to shape into their perfect dog — the one who grows up already knowing your routine, your home, your family — is actually the better choice, not the harder one.

Ready to Start With a Maremma Sheepdog of Your Own?

If Jimmy’s story has you thinking about what life could look like with a Maremma Sheepdog of your own, I’d love to help you find the right fit.

​Browse our available puppies here →​

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Why This Call Reminded Me of Why I Breed Maremma Sheepdogs

Before we hung up, Tom told me something that really touched me. He said he thought I was doing something wonderful with my puppies and dogs, and that he hopes other people are also telling me that, because he knows I’m putting my heart and soul into my dogs and that more people should be aware of that. 🥰

Taking a compliment like that has never come easily to me. But I do know how much work I put into raising these dogs, and how much I care about every single one of them and the families they go home to. Hearing it said out loud, especially in that exact moment, meant more than Tom probably realizes. 💜

Tom couldn’t have known what kind of day I was having when he texted. But it came at exactly the right moment, and I’m not sure that was a coincidence. This is why I keep doing this, even on the days I daydream about retiring to just be a grandma. Dogs like Jimmy, and clients like Tom, are the whole point.

If you’re already thinking ahead to bringing home a new Maremma I encourage you to get on the Master Reservation List here → so you’re first in line when the right Maremma comes along.

Talk soon,

Kim

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Kim Crawmer, KPA CTP, LFDM Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner Licensed Family Dog Mediator