They ARE just like dogs.......

I know you are used to me writing about horses as though that is all that keeps us busy here at the ranch and while they do take up much of our time, we are in the country and have a small assortment of animals.  I am not even sure if I have mentioned George, Gracie and Griffin before.

Here, I just ran outside and took a picture:

It's a beautiful morning and you can see the sun coming up through the trees in the back.  There is frost on the roof.  It's APRIL, why are we still having frost on the roof?   And you think San Diego as all warm and cozy...lol!

Now where was I?  We have had these three for a couple years now.   George and Gracie came to us from a rescue in Poway, CA.  They had been bottle raised together and though we got Gracie first, we went and got George after the first week so they could be together.   A few months later a friend of ours named Mark, showed up with a horse trailer and a sheep that needed a home because his owner was losing her house.  Mark told us he was already named Griffin, we didn't really believe him about the name until on day the prior owner called me and asked how Griffin was doing.

Goats and sheep are pretty easy to care for, just make sure you feed and water and check their hooves for trimming a couple times a year.  Griffin needs to be sheared once or twice too.  But other than that, easy keepers.

With the warm, cold, wet, dry winter and spring we have been having, the grass in the back yard has grown, but we haven't really wanted to get back there and mow it.   The side yard where these three clowns have been is nicely groomed like a golf course.

In addition to our 3G's, and don't get any ideas that we need 4G's like Verizon, we have 3 chihuahua's and a cattle dog who delight in barking at the 3G's through the fence from time to time.  Now they have all resided next to each other for two years and realizing this we thought, well the grass is really high in the back yard (you can't see the chihuahua's out there when they are running around), maybe we should let our weed wackers in the back yard to graze it down.  Worth a try!

Our biggest worry was what our cattle dog was going to do with them, but we found out quickly that when it came to herding, Gracie won hooves down.  It only took Tanqueray a few times to get head-butted by Gracie before she decided it wasn't worth the effort to contest who was in charge.  That settled, they all seem to be doing just fine in the back yard together.   Two goats, one sheep, 3 chihuahua's and a cattle dog.

I have to admit it is fun to see them walk up to the deck door while we are watching tv and quizzically look at us and wonder what we are doing or coming bouncing up to say "hi", if we step out back.  Always ready to have their head rubbed, just like any good dog.

But I didn't realize how strange it may look to an outsider until the other day when our son had some people over looking at a piece of equipment on the side yard and I had gone back there to meet them.   As introductions were being made the dogs came running to the fence line barking and the 3G's came running to the fence too.  

There they stood, all in a row.   Curious at the strangers and defending our house at the same time.   Oh, how I wished I had a camera at that moment.  But it will always live in my mind and make me ponder - they are just like dogs!

See, they look up at you to have their head rubbed or patted just like a dog!   Gosh, I hope they don't figure out the doggy door........