I too have GPs. I have three of them and have sold several litters. Right now I only have one open female and am trying to locate a male to breed her with. I am very particular about what traits are bred into them. My dogs save me thousands and thousands every year. There is nothing better as far as I am concerned. One of my dogs even thinks she can fly. On the few occasions when we had a hawk come down she has jumped in the air to try to get it. They work together as a trio and each have their range they protect but have a certian bark they use when they need help from the other dogs.
Many people don't use them as pets if they are working dogs but I've found that mine work just as hard or harder than anyone else's dogs in spite of the fact that they are somewhat spoiled pets.
I think genetics have a lot to do with how they work. They are amazingly friendly when people come here as long as I am here. But they have an entirely different attitude if I'm not around. They have seen me walking in from the field before and not recognize me and come running, growling and barking like they are going to rip me to shreds...until they see it is me. They also seem really friendly to customers but will place themselves between me and the customers and watch them very carefully. I have no doubt that if someone made an aggressive move to me they would protect me to a fault. Especially my oldest female. She isn't as people friendly as the other two but she is definitely a mamas girl and I am sure would eat anyone who tried to hurt me.
Trish when I had my yard fencing put in I used goat fencing. It was the most secure fencing I could buy and it is worth the additional cost. It does a great job of keeping all the animals in. I am very happy with it. It's also very strong which is pretty important as far as safety is concerned.
Sharol, I am sure I could handle butchering now. It's just a matter of weather conditions. Keep a watch on the weather and we can plan for a day that is going to be a little cooler. We are in the last days of trying to close on my parent's house so the next few days I am going to be super busy. After that I hope things will slow down some.
I was gone most of the day and evening yesterday. We went to my DIL's white coat ceremony. I was really dreading sitting through a long ceremony but it was totally awesome. This is the medical students official ceremony where they are given their white coats that they wear while seeing patients. The speeches were made by other doctors who teach in the program and they were excellent. Normally speeches just bore me insane. They were so inspirational. I can see why they are so picky about whom they admit to medical school. The whole program is designed to choose those who are professional and serious about learning.
Tweety I believe your neighbor was probably there. There was one student there from Kechi.
The whole occasion was a dress affair including the audience. The whole thing was based on professionalism. There were a few young ladies who wore trendy short dresses. My DIL said that they got a speech before the ceremony where they were told that there were about 4 young ladies that were improperly dressed to indicate professionalism and that it could be basis for them to be excluded from the program. Once they received their white coats it was evident who looked like a doctor and who didn't. A short dress with 4 inch spike heels and a white doctor's coat looks anything but professional.
A group of family met later for dinner and had a great time together to top off the day. I was so exhausted when I got home.
I haven't been out to check on my birds yet to see if they made it okay through the extreme heat. My DH ran a VERY long extension cord to the buff orpingtons before we left so they had a fan. I know those girls who got over heated before are going to be super susceptible to dying in the heat for a while. I sure hope I didn't loose any more birds. At least the wind was blowing yesterday which I am sure was a total blessing.
I guess I should get moving and go see if the birds are okay.
Do they run loose all the time or do you put them in with the goats at night?
