Cape Fear Guardian Dogs – Cape Fear Farm Life

Fierce Reflections

April — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 14:46:49 +0000

Judah. He is a perfect representation of the Analolian Shepherd breed standard. He is a fierce protector, but he is gentle as well. He will address any threat without reservation, but he is also a babysitter to lambs and goat kids who often use his body as their playground.

But Judah, like all of us, is not perfect. He was 5 years old when he came to us after being raised on a “sheep only” farm. Being inexperienced livestock guardian dog owners we didn’t realize that proper introductions to other species of animals needed to be facilitated. One day, Judah valiantly defended his flock from a perceived threat. The problem was the threat was our cows.

Judah didn’t know any better. He used his God given instincts to do exactly what he was born to do, but from our human standpoint, he caused harm. Have you ever thought about the fact that the spiritual gifts that God bestows upon us can be misdirected and even harmful depending on how we use them?

For me, it is my words. My words can be used for lifting people up, or my words can sound harsher than they should, and I can unintentionally hurt others. The same traits that allow me to boldly tell others about God (in a world that doesn’t want to hear about Him), are the very same traits that can make me very direct and to the point, and I can easily be perceived as too bold, or too direct.

What are your God given gifts? How can Satan flip them around and use them against you? Let us all be mindful that like Judah, our strengths can also be our weaknesses, but we cannot forget where our gifts come from.

James 1:17 (NKJV)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Be Vigilant

April — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 13:55:10 +0000

When we bought our farm in 2017, the old sand and rock quarry operation had not been active for 17 years. In order to meet the standards to “reclaim” the land, the government required that certain types of vegetation be allowed to grow to stabilize the soil. Coyotes and foxes were everywhere. After a bold fox grabbed my hen (with me standing there in broad daylight), and nonchalantly trotted into the brush with her, I decided we were going to get livestock guardian dogs.

So we did, and after a we survived the steep learning curve of running a pack of independent thinking, powerful, massive dogs, the predators disappeared. Full disclosure, until we pulled a dog to keep at the barn, a fox (or a hawk) would occasionally get a chicken, but the coyotes (and feral dogs) steered clear of our property because according to the GPS collars, our guardian dogs can travel up to 17 miles in a night on patrol if they sense any predator activity.

Unfortunately, as change is inevitable, my dogs who worked so well together, suddenly did not. As the pack hierarchy was challenged, my dogs began fighting, and after a couple of bloody episodes, I seperated them. It stopped the fighting, but it also stopped the nightly patrol. “Turn them out and they will work it out,” was my husband’s advice, but I was afraid of what the consequences would be. “We really don’t have predators anymore” I said as I slammed the gates, separating the dogs to their respective stations.

One night recently, unbeknownst to me, some of my yearling rams got out and were grazing back towards the river. I have no idea why, but I decided to drive 1/2 mile back to check on the sheep in the middle of the night. I attached the GPS to Beau’s collar and he ran ahead of me. All was well with the ewes (Judah was with them), but when I arrived to the ram pasture, I only counted 3 (out of 6 rams).

“Boys! Where are you!?” I called into the blackness of the night. I heard one of the rams answer me off in the distance. As I drove toward him , I checked the GPS and Beau was deep in the woods not far from where I heard the ram. I will spare you (and me) the details, but the ram that was calling to me was safe, but Beau was in the woods with one of the “boys” who was mortally wounded. Apparently he stopped the attack or the coyote/feral dogs would have killed and eaten him. As I was trying to load the wounded ram, Beau found the remains of the other ram about a quarter of a mile away.

As I reflect on the tragic events of that night, I must own the fact that my decision to pull the dogs had deadly consequences. But even more importantly, I realized just how quickly an invisible enemy can rob, steal, and destroy if we let our guard down. A false sense of security is deadly, as Satan is standing in the shadows, waiting for us to relax and become less vigilant.

So my dogs are back on patrol, and I am determined to seek the Lord more diligently. The evil surrounding us is growing stronger every day, so we must grow stronger in the Lord as well. I am thankful that our Shepherd will never leave or forsake us. We can’t afford to walk in this wilderness without him.

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Sweet Beau…..Sitting in the river watching the sunrise

April — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 22:38:30 +0000

Grazing Through The Storm

April — Sun, 22 Aug 2021 14:09:15 +0000

As I watched the storm clouds roll in, suddenly the temperature and the barometric pressure dropped. Judah, the patriarch of our livestock guardian dogs, flashed his amber eyes towards me as if to say “we need to go.” “This one is going to be bad isn’t it buddy, I said as I rubbed his head.

Indeed, the storm was impressive. The thunder shook the earth, and the lightening was sharp and almost blinding at times. I was able to make it to our old farm truck just before the deluge began. As the storm continued, I decided to make my way back to the pasture. I fully expected to see nothing but sheets of rain and maybe a few downed limbs.

To my suprise, through the foggy windshield, I saw the blurry images of sheep dotting the landscape. They had moved to high ground, but they were not hunkered down in their houses as I expected. Some were standing under the low lying limbs of a tree, others were calmly chewing their cud, and some were out grazing on the hillside as the storm around them raged.

What a lesson for us all! We have no control over the relentless storms in our lives. It seems as though we get through one, and an even bigger one blows in, but we cannot let fear paralyze us. I challenge each of us to stop looking at the storm, and instead start focusing on our Shepherd.

Hang in there friends! Just keep grazing!

John 16:33 (NKJV)

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Beau is a master at the “work while you play” concept

April — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 10:58:59 +0000

Judah at sunset…..

April — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 20:30:04 +0000

And everyone could sleep well because Judah was on duty……

Father and son outing on a crisp, cold morning…..

April — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 19:46:17 +0000

Gabe (father), and Beau (son), LOVE cold mornings…..I am usually bundled up like I am on the frozen tundra, and they will often jump in the water.

The lesson here…..

It is all about perspective!

Beau At Sunrise

April — Sun, 27 Dec 2020 14:26:24 +0000

Beau (aka “the puppy”), is worn out after a long night of coyote hunting. This one-year old pup ran with the big dogs all night! He has a lot to learn from the more experienced dogs, but Beau is a favorite among the sheep. The fact that they not only tolerate him around the babies, but that the babies actually follow him around, is a testament to his ability to livestock at ease. He is a perfect combination of both his Mom- Holly, and his Dad-Gabe.

Protection In The Storm

April — Sat, 14 Nov 2020 22:21:43 +0000

This past week our farm experienced the remnants of a tropical storm. In less than two days, we received 6 inches of rain, high winds, and flash flooding. During a break between downpours, I ran out to open the gate, so my three weanling lambs could graze a little before the next deluge of rain began.

When the wind and rain began to fall again, these little sheep didn’t run back to their dry shelter and their hay. These little ones acted as if there was not a cloud in the sky, and they kept right on grazing.

Gabe had been lying in the barn while the lambs were safe inside their enclosure, but as they ventured out into the storm, he did too. As the rain started, Gabe watched intently from a distance. As the wind began to pick up, he walked a little closer, keeping a concerned eye on the trio, but when the rain began coming down sideways, and the water started to flood the area near his charges, he waked over and laid down with them. The lambs seemed oblivious to the fact that their faithful guardian was even there, but he never let them out of his site.

As I watched from the window, I thought about how these little, defenseless lambs have nothing to fear, because they are “covered” by a watchful guardian. No matter what storm is raging, or how close they are to being swept away, they have nothing to fear, as Gabe would surely pull them to safety if they faltered. Shouldn’t we as Christians be as comfortable in our storms, as these little lambs are in theirs? After all, our Shepherd has told us that he is always with us, and that He will never leave us or forsake us.

So as the skies darken, and the wind picks up, fear not, because our Shepherd is close by, surrounding us with a hedge of protection. We cannot avoid the storms of life, but we can “keep calm, and keep grazing”!

Godly Guardians

April — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 00:05:10 +0000

After work one evening, I decided to go on a quick hike down by the river. Gracie (my rescued Blue Heeler), Buck (my rescued Shepherd mix) and I hopped on the Gator and we headed out for a short adventure. As I whizzed past the sheep grazing along the lake, Holly (the Great Pyrenees), and her one year old son Beau (our resident guardian dog in training), decided to take a break from watching the sheep, and tag along.

Once I arrived at the river with my canine entourage, I decided that I would grab my pruning clippers and begin cutting a connector trail through the woods. I lost track of time as I concentrated on cutting vines, trimming low lying limbs, and moving small logs from the path where I would soon be able to ride my horse. The deeper I traveled into the forest, the darker it became, but I decided that I couldn’t stop until I finished the section I was on. When I finished, the sun barely was visible. The shadows of the enormous trees that had just been visible, suddenly converged together as a blanket of darkness fell over the forest. The new path that seemed so clear just moments before, seemed to disappear as I struggled to find my way back, by the fading light of my iPhone.

Coyotes, snakes, screeching owls, (even people that may be kayaking down the river), could be lurking in the shadows, but I smiled as I realized that I could lie down and sleep like a baby if I had to. You see, I knew that none of the dangers of the night could prevail against me because of who I had walking with me. Thousands of years of God given instincts kicked in as each dog assumed a primary role that they had been genetically appointed to do. Grace never left my heels, ever vigilant to fend off any foe who dared to come near. Buck sniffed out the trail in front of me, stopping periodically to make sure that I was following him, as he scouted out the trail that was now invisible to me. Holly and Beau were patrolling a wide perimeter around us, and although we could not see them, the GPS showed that they were investigating the area where the coyotes howls were coming from, protecting all three of us as we made our way back to safety.

Isn’t it amazing when God’s plan comes together? As Christians, we should be as relaxed in the midst of these dangerous times, as I was in the middle of a dark forest with coyotes howling in the distance. Just as God instilled the instincts of these faithful companions, and appointed them to protect me, the Lord has appointed angels to watch over all of His children. As we learn to trust our Master, we will soon realize that no matter how many ominous shadows surround us, we can rest, knowing that He controls both the darkness and the light. As long as we follow Him, He will illuminate our paths and deliver us safely to our final destination.

So take heart, followers of Christ! Walk forward in confidence knowing that although you can’t see them, you have angels that were appointed by your Father, surrounding you, keeping you safe as you traverse the dark and rocky paths of this world.

Psalm 91: 11-12 (NKJV)
For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways .In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.