My weekend

Last weekend I had a extremely busy trip to Tomah, Wisconsin. There I delivered three Shetland ewes to a new sheep farmer and his wife. They will be extremely spoiled and well taken care of. Something that I'm really happy about as my placements with my 'pet quality' sheep is always of big concern for me. One of my older girls, Lavender is the new matriarch of the trio and she is doing a great job so far. I couldn't be happier.

Also on the trip I picked up a pair of white faced Black Spanish bantams. I'll try and get a photo sometime this week of them, or I'm sure you can Google 'white-faced Black Spanish bantams' and see some images. They are so striking. At the same time as the chicken 'swap' I picked up a gorgeous Shetland ram named Angus. I then traveled to another farm and picked up another Shetland ram named Pogo. Both are fitting in well here and are finding their ranks amongst the senior boys here.

The big news however is that I also took Mac along to meet a great couple that had inquired about Mac. I had honestly almost 20 inquiries about Mac and many of them just didn't 'feel' right or mesh right with Mac and what I felt were his needs. Since last summer Mac has lived with my parents as Oliver and Mac just didn't get along. Mac was never going to be a permanent resident here but sort of just ended up staying for a few extra years. My sister and brother-in-law were also living with my parents as their new house is being built, so Mac was able to really play with all of them and get to know the newborn baby and grow up with him.

My sister also took mac to foundation agility class in Detroit Lakes where I am now also taking Ell, Zoe and Sadie for agility class. Mac absolutely loved it and it made me smile every time he got his collar put on him he KNEW he was getting to go to agility class. But the living with my parents was not ideal for Mac. I felt he spent too much of his time alone and that he didn't' get enough trips out of the house to go places and didn't have enough 'things' to do.

I met this couple in Tomah, where I was doing most of the sheep transactions and they had the weekend to have a trial period with him. I honestly had planned on taking Mac home with me on Sunday, but they called me Saturday night and said he was just the most amazing dog with the greatest temperament and they couldn't imagine not having him in their life!

I was a bit choked up as I didn't get a formal goodbye but was extremely pleased that he was loving the new home and his new 'sister' and the new life. My sister and dad are/were extremely upset he wasn't coming home and they always knew he was looking for a home but they never thought it would actually happen. I told them that it was in the best interest of Mac and we can't be selfish and wish he was still here as he is in a better place for HIM and that is what is most important.

This placing dogs is seriously emotional. I hope it gets better as I get older and have more dogs to place. It was really hard at first with the cattle and sheep but it has gotten easier the more I move out. AND they are livestock so it is a bit different but nonetheless taxing on my emotions.

Mac's new home is great and they are eager to meet me in Tomah again from time to time to let me see Mac and perhaps I'll bring dogs with me so he can play with them! I'm very thankful for such a great place for Mac to live.

Mac's new duties will include keeping the three house cats in line, as well as keeping up to his long legged sister (pictured below) and tackling the new friends at the dog park, as well as Therapy work at the nursing homes and hospitals, as well as some obedience and agility classes to keep his mind always thinking.

Mac with 'sister' Ellie above

Mac with Ellie and new 'dad' Ron

As hard as this placement was, and as much as I knew he was needing a new home, I'm glad I waited for the right home for him. He deserves to be happy! And he is! :) :D :)