DNA Dog Results!
I splurged on a thing and bought 2 doggy DNA tests on black Friday. I chose the company, EmbarkVet, because they have the most breeds available and they also guestimate a “Wolfiness” score (more on that later).
First: Lila - We have been debating and guessing what dog breeds make up our dog, Lila, since we adopted her as a puppy over 8 years ago. We were so sure she was a little Australian Shepherd, maybe some Great Pyrenees. We did the doggy DNA test and her results came back...
She is a lot of things - the most prominent breed at 23% is Chow Chow!! She also is a little Chihuahua, Australian Cattle dog, and Siberian Husky and other breeds too!
Second: Laredo - Scotty was Laredo’s owner since April 2019, and he was convinced Laredo was a wolf. Or at least half wolf. We’ve talked with several people and prior to adopting Laredo, we were confident he was NOT a wolf, but the peace of mind would only come from a DNA test.
Laredo is a BIG dog, 110 pounds. He looks like a Shepherd, but most Shepherds weigh-in well under 100 pounds. His DNA test came in and his breed results explain his size! He is 70% Shepherd and 25% Alaskan Malamute!! The remaining part is the catch-all for unknown, called SuperMutt.
Interestingly, Laredo’s “Wofiness” score is 8%, which is much higher than Lila’s score of 0.3%. That is a pretty unscientific score, and we are pleased to have our guess about his breed confirmed.
Laminitis
The hardest part about taking care of animals is watching them suffer when they are sick. Miniature horses (minis) are notorious for being susceptible to overeating, which result in all kinds of potential health problems. I thought since I know this health concern, I would make sure our minis were always fed in healthy moderation and never have access to too much sugar. Unfortunately, Pearl is in so much pain right now, she is foundering (also known as laminitis). The cause is uncertain, but the vet and I suspect she got into an excessive amount of big horses' hay. For now, we are keeping her comfortable, trying our best to manage her pain and consulting with the vet more this week. I'll keep you posted, but her prognosis is "guarded."
Happy 2021
Hold your head up partner, 2020 just bit the dust. The new year is here, it's 2021 or bust!
Lucky us! Look who is helping us offer family & small group visits at Cheyne Ranch - our friend Brynn! She is delightful, responsible, knowledgeable, a lover of animals, kids, even reptiles, and way more fun than me. Brynn will be helping on weekends and we are so excited!
Loss and Love
Since I eagerly and enthusiastically write about the animals coming to join us at Cheyne Ranch, does this mean I also write an update when animals leave Cheyne Ranch? One through needing a new home and one through reaching life's final chapter, I’m thinking about 2 animals who left Cheyne Ranch this week. While processing the sadness, I’m also full of appreciation for the community of animal experts and friends that surround us, who are willing to be kind, supportive and helpful especially when we need it the most.
First: Scarlett
Oh this beautiful horse that I loved so immediately. I fell hard and fast for this horse - because she is so pretty, because she is a little fiesty and because she is picky about who her human is. Scarlett’s personality reminds me of a younger version of Lujen who has all those same traits. However, what she doesn’t have is Lujen’s old-man teddy bear personality who accepts everyone’s love and affection, because that is his main job, to accept the adoration of our guests. My friend and horse trainer, Chezzy, took Scarlett for the past couple weeks to provide his own evaluation and some training. The verdict: Scarlett is super beautiful, what a wonderful horse! But, she is just a little too young (she is 12, Lujen is almost 22), and a little too feisty for her job to be so chill everyday. She will be much happier (and much more useful) in a barn where she can be utilized in a more active way. Robin Cyr (Scarlett’s owner) is super gracious and is finding her a perfect home soon.
Second: Frankie
When we moved to our property in the summer 2016, a Florida gopher tortoise was living in our front yard, they claimed squatter’s rights, and remained here the past 4.5 years to the delight of my family and many of our guests. We named her Francesca, Frankie for short and I think the horses liked her too. Frankie hasn’t been moving too much lately, and I messaged my friend and neighbor, Ariel, to come over. (Side note: Ariel wrote her master’s thesis on gopher tortoise respiratory infections!) Sadly, Ariel took one look and knew Frankie was already gone. As a wildlife specialist, she collected Frankie and (thankfully) took her to a professional who is going to keep Frankie's shell for educational purposes. I miss you already Frankie.
Frankie bit the dust.
All Together Now
Either one or the other, this one or that one, just never all together 😌🙂😑😉
1 year Anniversary!
🥳🎉🥳 It’s our 1 year Anniversary!!
🥳🎉🥳 One year ago this week, on December 8, 2019, we had our first "official" appointment for a Cheyne Ranch Nature Therapy Experience! Below are some numbers summarizing our first 12 months open to the community:
🥳 An estimated 1,200+ unique visitors have been to Cheyne Ranch in the last 12 months
🥳 225 unique families scheduled appointments
🥳 460 appointments completed
🥳 900+ hours with guests here at Cheyne Ranch
🥳 9 appointment types
🎉 First time guests
🎉 Returning guests
🎉 Special needs helpers
🎉 Birthday party
🎉 Field trip
🎉 Professional photo shoot
🎉 Summer camp
🎉 Home school nature club
🎉 Middle school jr. barn hands club
🥳🎉🥳🎉 HISTORY: From December 2017, through December 2019, we operated as a small horse boarding and hobby farm. In early December, 2019, we realized that our friends, family and AirBnB guests enjoy spending time with our animals so much that we made plans to open the experience up to our community. We have spent a total of $10 on advertising, mostly because I was curious how the Facebook advertising machine worked ;)
