At the Sign of the Prancing Pony The Prancing Pony Farm Newsletter Hello Reader, Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s almost November! Soon, it will be Christmas! Where has 2024 gone?! It’s also hard to believe that the Maremma puppies who were born in June and July are big enough to go to new homes. One of Marcella’s pups left about a week ago, and two more (one of Marcella’s and one of Circe’s) left yesterday. And two more of Circe’s pups leave in about a week. The pups who left yesterday are…

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony The Prancing Pony Farm Newsletter Hi Reader, I started this email list to help as many LGD and livestock owners as possible. Not everyone can own one of my Maremma puppies or goats, but I knew the free content I share via this list could serve people far and wide. And boy, has it! I have subscribers not only in America but also in many faraway countries. I regularly receive replies from many of you, and it always warms my heart to know that my efforts are…

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony The Prancing Pony Farm Newsletter Hello Reader, I hope you’re having a good week. First up, I have exciting news to share. I have a new WordPress website just for the Maremmas and dog training! I have wanted to build this for years but was too scared to try. Well, I finally did it, and I am so happy! WordPress wasn’t as hard to figure out as I thought it would be and is so much better than Weebly. The URL is prancingponymaremmas.com. I still have tweaks to…

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony The Prancing Pony Farm Newsletter Hi Reader, Well after a week in Virginia visiting family Steve (my husband) and I are heading home to California. Hopefully this trip will go better than the trip out here. I have come down with some sort of cold so it won’t be fun, but hopefully we won’t miss our connecting flight again. It was really great seeing my east coast kids and grandkids but I do miss all my animals and am anxious to get home to them. I have lots of…

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony The Prancing Pony Farm Newsletter Hello Reader, I usually schedule my weeekly emails to go out on Thursdays at 7 am, but this one is running a bit late. Why am I running late, you ask? Because I attempted to go on a mini vacation with my husband, Steve. So far that trip has been a bit of a mess!I very rarely leave my farm, but our oldest son, Brian, is being promoted to Chief in the Navy, so Steve and I are going to VA, for the ceremony and to spend a few days…

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony The Prancing Pony Farm Newsletter Hi Reader, I can’t believe this day has come, but I am writing this email in a sweater! It’s finally sweater weather in California! Or at least it is at night. 😆 I’m sure we will have a few more hot days before fall comes for real, but at least the 110-degree days are history for another year! I’m also equally sure I’ll be complaining that it’s too cold soon, but I will enjoy the fall weather while I can. Though no pumpkin…

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony The Prancing Pony Farm Newsletter Hi Reader, If you’re anything like me, you probably have a soft spot in your heart for your “naughty” animals. You know, the ones who are sweethearts deep down but have an “independent” streak that often gets them into trouble. I have several “naughty” animals (past and present) I adore (my daughter thinks I prefer them that way, and maybe she’s right 😉), but without a doubt, one of the naughtiest is Coco, a four-year-old Mini…

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony The Prancing Pony Farm Newsletter Hi Reader, I hope your week is going well. Mine is good now, but wow, did it ever start out bad! I have had Maremmas on this farm for nine years, and though a few of my Maremmas are escape artists who occasionally get out of their pastures, I have never had a dog leave the farm until Sunday. Pax right after returning home from his 30-hour walkabout. I plan to write a blog post about this crazy event and share some things I…

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony The Prancing Pony Farm Newsletter Hi Reader, I hope you’re having a great week. We have had a few nicer (cool) days lately so I think it’s safe to say it will be fall soon! I can’t wait. Having a farm and breeding Livestock Guardian Dogs in the summer in California is no fun. The animals are pretty miserable and so am I. We all just spend the day trying to stay cool and then we come alive after dark. The best thing about fall is being able to get my chores…