Around the farm
From the guardian dogs watching the pasture to the guinea fowl and goats in the barnyard, every one of them has a place in the daily rhythm of New Sentinel Acres.
Meet the crew
These are the animals you may hear about when you visit the farm or follow along with our journal.
These are our inside dogs. Gizmo, a long-haired Dachshund, and Tigger, a wire-haired pointer, are not just pets, they are part of the family.
Both are incredibly smart, lovable and stubborn. When it comes to barking, they excel at it and are very protective of our home, ensuring everyone knows they are on guard.
Sheba is a Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherd mix. She is a rescue who was rehomed from her guarding job on a farm in central Tennessee.
These guardian breeds stay alert and independent, make smart decisions on their own, and take protecting family or livestock seriously. Sheba is caring and is turning out to be a great mentor to the puppies.
Sheba has already proven her attentiveness and willingness to warn of danger, put herself between the animals and the world, and follow her instincts around the farm.
Zeke is a purebred Great Pyrenees. Great Pyrenees guardian dogs are calm, confident protectors with a strong sense of duty.
He is fully bonded with Sheba and loves to play fight with her. He is alert to the sounds of the other farm animals and will regularly stop and listen while playing.
Based on his early personality traits, Zeke will be the muscle of the pack. He is gaining 10 to 12 pounds a month in his first year and is expected to grow into a substantial protector for the herd.
Luna was adopted with Shadow to round out our guardian dog pack. They came from the same farm and were so muddy from playing that it took two full shampoos and rinses to get the mud off Luna.
Luna is shyer and more reserved around people. She wants to be involved and wags her tail, but still tries to hide if someone gets too close too fast.
She is a Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherd mix, just like Sheba, and is growing into her role as a mid-guard, a second line of defense between the scout, the muscle and the animals she protects.
Shadow is a Great Pyrenees and Catahoula Leopard Dog mix. She was adopted at the same time as Luna.
Catahoulas are highly intelligent, energetic and independent. They are loyal, protective, require consistent training and socialization, and need plenty of exercise, which makes Shadow a natural fit for the farm.
Shadow is loving, already loyal and caring. She is constantly comforting Luna when she gets overwhelmed, checking on the animals and making sure everyone is okay.
Lucy and Ethel are our resident guinea fowl. Both are females who love to crow at every little thing going on in the barnyard.
They came with the farm, along with several chickens. We keep them around for the entertainment and for critter control. They are excellent at keeping tick and other nasty bug populations under control.
Guineas also make excellent alert birds and have warned us when stray dogs were prowling the fence line.
Hershey, Dorian and Lovie are our miniature fainting goats. These three arrived at the same time as Sheba so she would have companionship.
Lovie, the light gray goat without horns, was a bottle baby that attached herself to us when we picked the goats up. Dorian, light gray with horns, and Hershey, brown, were not bottle babies and are taking a little longer to trust us.
None of the three are strong fainters, but they have fainted from time to time. They love acorns, anything green and sweet feed. Lovie loves human scratches and being near people.
