Frollicking on the farm - Aug - Oct 2024

 

Milly surveying her territory

We were delighted to be selected for a ten week sit on a back country station looking after four dogs. 

On the way to the farm we stopped off at one of our favourite freedom camping spots near Napier, Lake Tutira.

Lucky us to witness this sunset!

Camp mates

 The farm itself was under the control of the manager so we just had to relax and have fun with our charges: young Hunterway, Holly; Border Collie, Charm; Curly Coated Retriever, Milly and Jack Russell, Twiggy.

We quickly got into a fabulous routine of trotting out with the girls for an hour or more twice a day on the many farm roads and tracks.  

The girls chased rabbits and hares, just for funsies, on our daily rambles and we managed to harvest a fair amount of wild food, thanks to James being a crack shot! - hare, rabbit and turkey.  Hunting without the girls in tow was easier for sure!

Which we made some outstanding meals out of ....

Rabbit loin parmigiana

Crumbed turkey breast

Bacon wrapped hare loin and warm 
winter salad

The doggos were also more than happy to eat fresh meat every day.  There was plenty for everyone!

House and petsitting is not always as glamourous and it seems.  Sometimes you really do have to get down and dirty.  Fortunately we were able to unblock this drain ourselves.

There was also plenty of time for relaxing in the lovely home.

And then, a first for us, after 10 years of house and petsitting!  It turned out our gorgeous girl Charm was in pup when the owners left and no one knew.  Least of all us!  There were signs early on - nesting, wanting to rest on the back of the Can Am all the time (definitely not a border collie trait) and she was very affectionate right from the start (also not a common BC trait!) - but not knowing the dog before our arrival we had no benchmark to go by.  Once we realised what was going on, James got to and created her a lovely space for birthing here pups in one of the hay sheds.  On the day they were born she came to get Clare who was more than happy to be her birthing partner.  Such an honour!

She had seven pups, all beautiful BC's which should turn out to be awesome farm dogs!  Charm thrived in her new role, as did the pups, and eventually welcomed the opportunity to take a short break from her babies and come out on the farm again.