Allen At Home, Part II

While I was in Senegal last year studying, we had a litter of Italian Maremma puppies. This is baby Milan and her brother (now owned by Trina Carlson) last Fall when they were newborns. Trina purchased Milan's brother to protect their San Jose ranch from Mountain Lions, Coyotes, and other predators to their flock of sheep.

In this picture, puppy Milan, now grown up, watches the newborns with a watchful, loving eye.

At 2,800 feet, Black Mountain stays sunny and above the dense Fresno fog. In this picture, fog rolls up the mountain in the afternoon behind the doe and kid pen.

Mama Angora goat with her two "early" or may be "late" kids.

Kids.... Fall? Yes, we have baby Colored Angora Goats this fall on Black Mountain! Last spring, we had several does that did not breed. When we went to the Estes Park Wool Festival for the National Colored Angora Goat show, we corralled all unbred does and ONE yearling buck in a single pen to make feeding easier for our caretaker. Of course, we had no intention of breeding the does with the buck; it was simply a convenience pen for our trip! Well, five months have passed... and while I was in Japan, Randy sent me an e- mail, "You're never going to believe what I found this morning in the pasture: twins!" We were pleasantly surprised with two healthy twins, a brown boy and red doe. The mom is taking very good care of them, even if she is a little early... or is it late? In this picture the kids find a hole that our Italian Maremmas have dug in the ground. The find shelter and sleep in the hole at night with mom by their side. Our "farm dog" Cali (Boston Terrier) looks at the kids with amazement thinking, "A little early?"

Our barn.