Meet Joan

Joan is our beloved 7 year old Maremma Sheepdog at the farm. When she's not zoomin' around the farm, she's fulfilling her duties by protecting our lovely free-range chickens from the coyotes. After a long day's work of guarding the land, Joan loves a good belly rub.

The Maremma Sheepdog breed is a working dog, and is dedicated to protecting the farm from predators. Maremmas do not consider themselves as pets (although Joan is very close to our staff!), "with 2000 years of genetic background of livestock guardianship behind it (so they would need) a job to keep (them)  occupied". According to Maremma Club, they "have been selected to take responsibility and to make their own decisions in the absence of a master". This means that "they want to make up their own minds, and decide for themselves, how best to deal with a potentially dangerous situation". Joan definitely can be a lone pup, patrolling the fields and keeping an eye out for danger. You might not see her around all day, but you might just see a little white fluff in the distance - hard at work!

PHOTO ABOVE: Was the daisy planted in her paws or did we find her like this? 🧐