Friday, April 25, 2014

Working Alameda

The HornedLocusts are back at it!

 And SOOO glad to be out working in Alameda... Our project is to weed seed and weed the pasture. 


 Top on the munchy list are the Sock Stickers and ELM!


 Even the littlest kiddos LOVE ELM!


 It is a lovely area to work in... many ducks (even gorgeous Wood Ducks!) And Geese!
I love the many wild lives that call this place home...


Rocky and his partner Curly are on duty to protect their Capricious family...



Apollo loves Elm for eating as well as a good horn massage...


 Circus Boy has no horns but loves to massage his non horn non buds 
(this boy was born without horns)... 
Especially after his Role Model expresses his own appreciation..


 Early weeds:Dandelion, Bindweed, Plantain...
What a great mixed salad!


 Multi-tasking goats dimple the soil surface and lay down nitrogen rich manure which aid the seed in finding low spots to take hold and fertilizer to grow strong. 
After seeding and irrigating the goats peruse the pasture again working the new round of emerging weed starts and helping to cover over seed...


Edam is loving her first GoatScaping project...


Mama Brie is glad to be joining the Brush goats in the field with her little one.


Elf is also quite impressed...


Elephant Ears runs to catch up with the browsing crew...


Cerbina takes turns with Brie kidsitting...



 Big Boy and Princess dig in!
 


 

The goats work the banks for the many Sock Stickers and then return to the lower land for Dandelion, Mallow and Licorice...



Dalmation gladly works some Elm....


Uncovering the old Mower...


 Last time we worked this pasture I spotted a Great Basin Skink hanging out under this thing.
Both very fun to uncover.


The first few days a local feral flock of Guinea Hens followed the goats around munching the many grasshoppers and other bugs which were uncovered by the browsing Horned Locusts... 




Dandelion! A very helpful herb for the liver and kidneys...


Abundant herbs all around...


Shadoe made quick friends with this Collie down the way


Guppy keeps a close eye on me...


Mama Mia loves all the old Dandelion stalks...


And they are OFF!
The goats have begun working the ditch to help fuel the final mustard feed in the pasture... 
While they fill up on fresh tips and tops they prepare their microbiotica to digest odd flavored and tough to process weeds like mustard, chamisa...


This section of the ditch has not been maintained recently and is safe from weed killers that are typically used to keep vegetation down along ditches and acequias...


Herding Partners...


Goats work inclines like professionals...


Or better.. like Goats!

Friday, January 3, 2014

New Year New Puppies FOR SALE



3/4 Australian Shepherd Puppies FOR SALE
(505) 917-9885




Individual Photos Coming SOON...
"Biscuit": This little blue Merle is strikingly gorgeous with his big blaze and bright blue eye. Biscuit is very affectionate and confident. He is very smart, easiest to paper train and first to ask to go outside instead. Biscuit has a short natural bob tail. Blue Merle.

"Rosetta": This is our most dynamic puppy. Rosetta has herded goats at the young age of about 6 weeks when she tagged along to the goat pen at GoatWalk time. Her instincts immediately kicked in and she bunched the already fairly bunched herd of 40 horned brush goats before she stopped to consider her situation...and then continued with her program.. Very fun puppy and looks to people strongly. Needs working or active companion home. Natural short-stubby bob tail.
Black Tri.

"Hobbs": This boy is looking for a home where he will bond strongly to his person/people. Fun loving and playful, Hobbs wants to be part of the activity or relax at home. Loves children. He has a unique blaze connected to collar pattern and a longer stubby bob tail.
Black Tri.

"Howler": So named when a young pack reaction to a coyote howl outside caused him, at 5 weeks, to produce a decent howl,  joining in concert with his parents... He trotted right up to the door, sat down and howled. Mostly Howler is a pretty quiet puppy, very sensitive and gentle. He has a calmer, gentler personality and like his daddy is very sensitive to everything, but is also very confident and assertive. Howler loves to play fetch and will bring back the toy to be thrown over and over. He is very easy going. Howler has a very short naturally bobbed tail. 
Black Tri.

"Cake": This is a friendly puppy. With his big full tail he greets so enthusiastically and with joy. Cake is not overly energetic, rather quite easy going, but does like to express joy through movement. Cake is the climber of the group and thinks a lot. He is very smart, bold, but not very dominating. Will make a wonderful companion. 
Black Tri.

"Muffin": This girl is a striking copy of her mama in looks, but is much more submissive. Muffin is a longer haired pup, and a couch potato. Natural long bob tail. 
Blue Merle.

"River": River is the smallest and is very sensitive. She is also very bold and will make a great stock dog. Very short bob tail.
Black Tri.



Testimonials from previous litters



"Buddy"
Hello Amanita. Here are a few photos of Buddy. He has been such a great dog for all of us. He and little Lorenzo are best buds. Buddy follows him everywhere and protects him. He lets me give him lots of lovings and brush him. One of the photos is of Buddy and big Lorenzo and Buddy is pretty fond of him too.

"Busco"
Hi Amanita...We have been having a great time! Busco and I are back in San Diego and are having so much fun exploring together. He goes everywhere with me and doesn't leave my side.  I take care of lots of little kids and he has been so great around them! My 4 year old little cousin and him are best friends. She tells everyone that she is helping teach Busco how to be around kids. Busco and I spend a lot of time either hiking or going to the beach. We have learned fetch and also like playing with the other dogs of my various family including standard poodles, great Pyrenees and blue heelers. He loves being with them!  I just wanted to let you know we are doing great and share some photos.... I just want to thank you for my new best friend. He's been so amazing and we are having so much fun together!

"Blue Cheese"
Blue Cheese is doing well- loves, and I mean loves to play ball- big small. She is wonderful at catching and knows how to sit and stay! We are blessed to have such a wonderful girl! She has many tennis balls and probably fetches more than 500 times a day- also drops on command, catches tennis balls, carries 2 at a time, and herds a big red tennis ball and basketball!

"Solstice"
We are all in love and doing great... Thanks for raising such a great dog. She is agile, spirited and smart. She had her first shots and the vet thought she was terrific, we do too... and she trained to the invisible fence in 1 day. Smartest of all our dogs and we have had many really smart ones... Thanks for breeding such a wonderful dog.

"Happy"
Paul was so excited to meet Happy last night. He is a grown man who turned into a little boy when I gave him Happy. Paul’s never had a dog of his own before and always dreamed of having an Australian Shepherd. He couldn’t be happier with his new friend for life. 



Our puppies are raised underfoot in our living room with love and are socialized to other dogs, chickens, peacocks, goats and horses as well as an enthusiastic small child. Our Pups have gone on to be successful companions, workers and whatever else their people ask of them.

Father is ASCA registered Hart II SunStarBuck, a solid and tireless cowdog bred goatdog. Bucky loves to work, ride in the truck and play ball, big and small. A super sweet, sensitive, biddable and enjoyable companion/workmate.

Mother is "Guppy" an Aussie cross from our double registered girl, granddaughter of Supreme National Champion, Twin Oaks Kit Carson: SunRay's High Desert Lazuli.
Guppy is a strong worker that has always been pretty easy to work. She keeps bucks, fights and the herd as a whole in line and is gentle with kids. Excellent mother, companion and worker. 

This cross has pleased many families and individuals with their intelligence, sweet love, and general happy and active energy. 



Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Galisteo Dam:Infestation 2013


Has anyone visited the Galisteo Dam and basin recently?


We visited yesterday... 
The bare, herbicided, dam face is still greatly bare though rabbit brush and saltbush are growing back up... the grasses are not...


Below the dam face the basin sits... the mowed tamarisk stands out stark against the lacking grass...


But what is this? on either side of the basin along the dam the tamarisk is brown and thin and looking dead...


Or dying as the case may be...



Few trees are blooming this year


Most of the tamarisk is as would be expected this year, a bit dry, but robust after a few years of mechanical pruning...



our view to the east is obstructed by happy tamarisk trees..


A number of trees were already dead when the mowing was initiated... those did not come back.


And the carbon continues to remain untouched and undigested on the surface, blocking the soil from the sunshine, and clogging the soil (without nitrogen emitting goats) with unusable waste. 


We had been told of a friend whose bees were all gone after the tamarisk in the galisteo river were gobbled up by bugs. In this drought many many pollinators rely on this nutrition rich tree's blooms


But now these little buggers are decimating the bosque's tamarisk population.. Many of you may be cheering to hear these bugs are wiping out the state's tamarix, but I ask: What next? These voracious beetles will need another food source when all the salt cedar is eaten up... 



The dam is full of these beetles. The ground is swarming with the larvae searching for new trees to destroy and hundreds of trees are feeding millions of these bugs.


The trees along the channel that were left to keep the banks intact and the river channelized...
are all but dead.


Just as with GoatScaping, it will likely take several years to really kill the trees. But unlike the Goats, these beetles will leave behind dry skeletons and nothing added to the ground



This invasion seems to be recent, few trees were swwarming with adults and only two large patches were in evidence, though the creek-bank trees and beyond are crisped-looking...


With very little life left... But enough, the battle is not over...


So, the dam face has been poisoned with glyphosate, and the basin is being decimated by "Biologic Control" in the form of exotic and invasive beetles... 
What a beautiful land this was becoming with the goats' hard work. The transformation has been halted, 
Will the Corps ever again have money for improving the environment?  

Fisher and Badger




We have two little boys left in our Working Aussie-cross litter, born on April 19, 2013. Badger and Fisher are great boys that will bring much love, smiles and help to their person. 




Fisher is a red tri with a full natural tail. He is laid back and very calm for an aussie. Fisher will be a great companion and has the genetics and temperament to herd chickens, goats or cattle.. or could be a wonderful family dog to an active family. Fisher loves water! He loves to get his feet wet especially en route to some adventure with his person...



Badger is a very aussie type pup with short strong body, natural short bob tail, and need to please. This black tri is very much like his father who is a serious and dedicated stock dog. Badger would do best as a working dog, but could possibly do well at agility or as constant companion truck dog. He needs to live an active lifestyle. Badger will make a fantastic hand. 


Our puppies are raised with love in our living room under foot and are well socialized by us, our visitors and 4 year old niece. Many of our pups have gone to work as companion to active children. All pups are exposed to horses, chickens, turkeys and peacocks and goats, other aussies, and maremma LGDs. 
They are crate trained and all but house-trained.



Mother, Guppy, is 3/4 Australian Shepeherd. Her mother is our AKC, ASCA registered Aussie, SunRay's High Desert Lazuli. Zuli is granddaughter to Supreme National Champion Twin Oaks Kit Carson...
Guppy's father was our neighbor's sheep dog who was half Rotweiler and 1/4 Border Collie and 1/4 German Shepherd. Guppy is a strong worker with upright posture and a clean, long stride. She is strong on bunching, driving, and breaking up buck fights. She is a sweet, but assertive worker.

Guppy and her mama, Zuli in rear



Bucky and daughter, Shadoe..


The pups father is Hart II's SunStarBuck. Bucky is ASCA registered and is an old type cowdog... Bucky is very biddable, strong, and has a heart of gold. Buck is very intelligent and will work all day every day.


We use our dogs to work our large herd of goats on range as well as on site in yards, neighborhoods and farmland where the goats eat weeds, and improve tilth around New Mexico. 


I kept Shadoe, the black tri in the background here, from the last litter.... 
At less than a year she is still green, but she is showing a great deal of talent...



Shadoe has really loved helping to raise this litter of her brothers and sisters...

We try hard to match our dogs with their prospective owners. 
We take great care to socialize and stress test the pups to prepare them for their lives ahead, and in so doing we get to know each pup's personality, traits, strengths and weaknesses. 
We have done very well so far in our match making and all of our puppies are reported back to be just what their new person was looking for and hoping for them to be.

Our interest in breeding and raising these aussies and aussie cross pups is to bring into the world dogs that are ready to go to work for their master, whatever that job description may be... 
We breed for a well formed, well tempered well equipped dog that is adaptable, agile and hardy.



Please visit our page and "Like" us on Facebook:
Facebook.com/hornedlocustremediation


Monday, June 3, 2013

Awesome Aussies

It has been awhile since I have written here... Been busy and just have not got pictures, computer and myself all in one space of time...

The christmas pups all found wonderful homes and soon I will post here just how fitting the families have turned out I be for our puppies.

The litter was so successful and folks have been asking for more... So I bred Guppy again to Bucky as she was back in great condition and coveting the Maremmas pups.

Guppy is a great mother and Shadoe, the Buck lookalike that I kept from the first bunch, is a very sweet auntie. These pups are growing up within a multi breed pack that has given fantastic early conditioning to all of its members.

More about the current litter of Aussies soon... They will be ready in two weeks...
They are all so beautiful and smart!
Check out our Facebook page at: Facebook.com/hornedlocustremediation
For pics and story bits about these little guys.