Looks like Maremma LGD Puppies are Coming to DMAR:
Mom to be is Gianna who is currently 20 mths old. This will be Gianna’s first litter. Gianna is a direct import from the Abruzzi region in Italy. She is a big girl weighing at 101 before her pregnancy. Gianna’s temperment is very loving and truly loyal to her herd and family. At the moment I can see changes in both Gianna’s attitude and physical changes in her mammary glands. She is quite hormonal and won’t tolerate any messing around from the other maremmas. She loves to spend her days in front of the fans trying to cool down from this Georgia heat and humidity.
Gianna is due at the end of August or early September. We are quite busy preparing for the birth of her pups by setting up a whelping area in the barn.
Santino is Gianna’s mate. Santino is a first generation import. He is currently 4 years old and this will be Santino’s third litter. Santino is a wonderful guard dog and spends most of his day marking and patroling his territory. We sleep peacefully knowing that Santino will take care of the alpacas.
Santino is a great partner for Gianna. He makes sure he leaves a little something in his bowl for Gianna at every feeding. He is very attentive to Gianna even though she can turn and snap at him for absolutely no reason at all these days. He simply ignores it and keeps going about his business. Like the rest of the Maremmas at DMAR he is very loyal and loving towards his alpacas and family.
Both parents guard 24 alpacas at the DMAR ranch in Mansfield, GA. Puppies will be raised alongside the alpacas. Initially they will only share a fenceline but will begin to be introduced slowly starting at approx. 5 to 6 wks old under heavy supervision.
For more information on maremmas Click Here or you can read more about past litters and view photos by clicking on the maremma link from the menu on the blog. Puppies are available for purchase and will be ready by early November. Females sell for $850 and males for $750. Please contact us for more information.
In just a few short days we leave our home in Arizona of seven years to head to the grassy, humid east coast of Mansfield, GA. We are both excited and apprehensive at the same time. Tom has been off traveling around for work while I am left behind to take care of getting the alpacas and dogs ready for the upcoming move.
Of course things could not go smoothly without some alpaca drama. Two weekends ago I went outside with Tom to give Eros his CDT shot. While Eros while trying to run away from Tom he got his foot stuck in the field fencing. He panicked as Tom got closer to help and when Tom got his foot free I noticed Eros was bleeding. Sure enough he had torn his left back toenail right at the top of the nail bed where it meets his skin. Poor thing. Well with treatment and separation from the other boys except his pal, Apollo, Eros never caught an infection and has improved greatly. The nail is still there, but I expect it to fall off once the new nail begins to grow and push it off.
The plan is to take most of the alpacas to Cienega Creek for agistment. The first trip to GA Tom will take the 4 maremmas, Max our min pin, and 5 adult male alpacas. I will be driving behind him with a trailer full of equipment and Dutchess, my American Bulldog.
The five male alpacas have their health certs, all dogs are ready to travel except Max who I take to the vet today to get his rabies shot updated. Tomorrow I do herd management to update all shots and trim toe nails.
Tom comes home tomorrow night and he has a ton of work to do before we leave with finishing up home repairs and getting the trucks in working order.
I’m tired, stressed, and simply can’t wait to get this entire move over with. Once I get to the new home (pictured above with a view of one of the pastures) there is a ton of clean up to do with starting with the house and barn that have been empty since December. The pastures are overgrown and need to be mowed down. We need some more fencing to keep house dogs away from guard dogs and alpacas. The list goes on and on, but we will make it work.
This is Bella. She is currently 4 months old and weighs 45 pounds. She was initially claimed by a ranch in California, but unfortunately that ranch has fallen into some financial hardship. This means Bella is once again available.
Bella is turning into a wonderful guard dog. She’s had plenty of time to learn from her parents who live onsite guarding over 30 alpacas. Bella is not afraid of the alpacas and is already barking at the fenceline whenever something unusual appears.
Bella is loving and friendly to her family and all guests that are introduced to her. She is playful too.
Bella’s cost is $85o. She has already had all her puppy shots and just the other day received her rabies shot.
DMAR is moving to Georgia in the next few months. It’s official as Tom signed his offer letter for a promotion and relocation to the new corporate office just north of Atlanta in Sandy Springs. Although I am already getting a headache trying to figure out logistics for the alpaca move I am looking forward to the greenery and big trees the east coast has to offer us and our herd.
At this point in time nothing is official as to the exact date of the move. All I know is that Tom will begin to temporarily telecommute to Atlanta starting the second week of March. Tom still has some projects he needs to finish up in Mexico before we can leave Arizona.
For me the move is bittersweet. I was really becoming established in the alpaca industry in the desert. I will miss the beauty and dry heat of Arizona as well as all the friendships Tom and I have made with both alpaca ranchers and customers.
We look forward to making new friendships on the east coast. Also, since Tom and I are originally from NY and NJ we will be closer to our families. Plenty of changes will be coming, but we look forward to the opportunity of attending more shows and networking with the eastern portion of the Mississippi.
Overall I will be happy to see the dirt rings on my alpacas’ fleeces disappear and to have the moisture brought back into their fibers. I am sure both they and the maremmas will love the grass.
Here we are Christmas Eve and the puppies are growing so quickly. Now at 4 weeks of age they are fully mobile. Yesterday when I took them out of the whelping box they stormed the area in front of the feed room, the feed room itself, and the attached deck that is quite a step up. They no longer walk, but run with short hops. I told Tom remember how they say they stormed the beaches of Normandy…..well the puppies stormed the wooden floor of the feed room. All of them were exploring and loving their time out of the box.
After eating they decided to take a nap, however on the sides of the paddock everything was damp from melting snow. I decided to put them back into the warm, dry box. A little while later Tom asked me if I forgot to put a pup back in. Of course not I told him. Sure enough Tom watched as the pup climbed on the guide rail and fell out onto the feed room floor.
It is all downhill from here. The pups know who we are, so they run over to us getting in between our feet. We have to walk carefully as to not step on them. The whole time their little tails are wagging away. When you hold one they are quick to give you a little puppy kiss that will melt you instantly. Now that they can fall out who knows where we will find the little devils….I mean angels.
We have lots of interest in these puppies. If you are interested in one please don’t hesitate to contact us. All the puppies are for sale. To read more about the parents, Donatella and Vincenzo, Click Here. Both parents are on site.
The maremmas currently watch over 30 alpacas. The puppies are sharing a fenceline with them and will be introduced to them slowly over the next few weeks.
The maremma pups are now a week old. I weighed them yesterday and the average weight was 2.5 lbs. They are now quite fat and happy.
Almost all of the noses have turned black and most of the pads on the feet have turned black as well. There are a few pups who are now using their back legs to walk around. Not sure if you know, but when pups are born they mostly drag their back legs around. Eyes are just beginning to open slightly in the corner closest to their nose. I suspect in the next week or so they will have their eyes and ears completely open. Yes, puppies are born blind and deaf as their eyes and ears are closed.
I only have a few more days of the maremma pups being helpless. Soon they will be climbing on each other trying to get out of the box. Yikes! That means pups between my feet as I walk and having them run and grab my pants with their mouth as they play.
Donatella, the mom, is doing well. She is a great mom and has plenty of milk for her pups. I couldn’t be happier with her.
Sidenote: We did lose one female puppy due to Donatella’s inexperience. She accidentally layed on top of her. It was sad, but after watching Donatella carefully we decided it must have been a fluke since she is very careful with the other pups.
If you are needing or wanting a maremma livestock guardian dog, please contact us to reserve one of these pups. Females are $850 and males are $750. Click Here for more information on the parents and about maremmas in general. Pups will be ready to go to new home by the end of January.
*****Transport Special: We will be going to TxOLAN Alpaca Spectacular in February 2010. We can and will transport pups to the show at no charge. *****
Donatella gave birth on Friday night, Nov. 20th. It was a long labor with the actual birthing beginning at 7:20pm and lasted through 11 am Saturday morning. The litter consists of four females and four males. All were born vibrant, loud, and hungry.
This is Donatella’s first litter and she is proving to be a very attentive and caring mother. She is constantly in her whelping box pulling the pups to her, so she can clean them. Milk is of no issue and the pups can be found suckling at any time of the day.
The sire of the puppies is Vincenzo. He is a first generation American with his parents coming directly from Italy. Vincenzo takes his guarding duties seriously and looks out for Donatella as well as the other maremmas on the ranch.
The puppies are for sale and will be available at the end of January. For more information Click Here.
Mom to be is Gianna who is currently 20 mths old. This will be Gianna’s first litter. Gianna is a direct import from the Abruzzi region in Italy. She is a big girl weighing at 101 before her pregnancy. Gianna’s temperment is very loving and truly loyal to her herd and family. At the moment I can see changes in both Gianna’s attitude and physical changes in her mammary glands. She is quite hormonal and won’t tolerate any messing around from the other maremmas. She loves to spend her days in front of the fans trying to cool down from this Georgia heat and humidity.
Santino is Gianna’s mate. Santino is a first generation import. He is currently 4 years old and this will be Santino’s third litter. Santino is a wonderful guard dog and spends most of his day marking and patroling his territory. We sleep peacefully knowing that Santino will take care of the alpacas.
