Green Gables Caesar our male Maremma (pictured at 11 months old)

DOB: 11/26/09 (Thanksgiving Day)

 Sire: Watermark Farm Orion
   ss: Whippoorwill Farm Giovenco
   sd: Whippoorwill Farm Rovere
Dam: Watermark Farm Maia
   ds: Aronne
   dd: Gorda

Caesar has already proven himself to be a wonderful livestock guardian dog in the few months he has been with us.  Even at this young age he stays with his goats.  Once, when he was out in the pasture and Dixie was back at the barn resting (they take turns working), he heard one of the does back at the barn crying...  So he ran back and brought her out to be with the rest of the herd.  He also lets us know when the goats are not where they are supposed to - when the bucks get out he sounds a special "Bucks are out!" alarm.  At 6 months old, he helped Dixie chase off a wolf who thought the new chicks would make a nice evening snack.

A funny story about Caesar...  I was out milking one COLD winter morning when Caesar started to bark strangely.  I looked into the does barn where he was and he looked at me and barked as if he were trying to tell me something important.  I left the milkhouse and went in by him. "What's the matter Ceasie?" I asked.  He barked again and then I smelled it!  Smoke!  I remembered that we had put a heatlamp in for the chicks the night before as it was well below zero that night.  I ran to the chickens area and saw...  A rooster sitting under the heatlamp with his back about an inch from the bulb.  His feathers were smoking and almost ready to catch fire.  I grabbed him and unplugged the lamp.  Silly bird!  And good boy Ceasar!!!

Here is what Caesar's breeder said about his dam, Maia: "During our last kidding season a kid slipped between the boards into the next stall and was separated from its mother. Maia jumped the stall and was standing in over it, guarding it until we came to the barn to check on them. Maia also rescued a goat kid that had fallen in a water trough and surely would have died."