Beans is our current canine leader. She was a rescue puppy from Roanoke County and had a pretty rough start. After coming here it became apparent she was very sensitive and could not handle crating at all. Not a real problem big picture as our dogs roam the 50 acres at will for most of the day, but in terms of training a pup these were challenges. She has developed nicely however and has become surprisingly easy going. More recently she has begun paying mind to overhead hawk and buzzard threats. She’s no Booker T, who was a natural born huntress at heart, but she is growing into some guard duties.

Dooley is our youngest pup. Trained by Beans, she has quickly grown larger than Beans. She seems to have stronger protective instincts and has a booming bark. Shes not the brightest pup but enjoys her new life on the farm after a crowded rescue home in Roanoke.

****** On November 1st, 2018  the house fire we suffered also took the lives of both Booker and Rufus. Their loss was far greater than all tangible items combined, and their absence on the farm has been greatly felt since. These two will not be forgotten and plans are underway to memorialize them properly.******

Booker T. Neves is our first farm dog… who also sleeps in bed with us at night.  She’s a blue tick x beagle x Bedford County Special and is perfectly outstanding.  Although she finds herself a rotten rabbit in the woods to eat on occasion, all in all she is a wonderful companion and is excellent with all animals from baby chicks to rambunctious pigs.  We feel very lucky to have found her.

Rufus is our other farm dog, rescued from Campbell County.  He is loving with all animals, people, and dogs… but as a consequence, he is not the best guardian dog!  Most times his one purpose in life is Booker’s plaything.  Nonetheless, we love having this easy going dog around.

Small Cat is our current barn cat.  We found her as a small kitten dodging traffic up on the “main road.”  To keep her from becoming pancake-status we trapped her, had her fixed and given shots, adjusted her to our farm location (she lived in her our chicken coop for about 2 weeks) and then let her go!  She is learning how to become a functional member of farm society and we are hoping that with the onset of the warm weather she will become as good of a varmint hunter as Forrest was!

General Bedford Forrest (RIP) is our barn cat.  He was rescued from the Bedford County Animal Shelter when he was going to be put to sleep because he bit when cornered; he was pulled by a local organization Barn Cat Buddies .  We offered to take Forrest into our home so that he could live whatever life he wanted.  Well, he made his home here alright!  He LOVES to explore, kill rodents, and follow us all around the property.  He loves affection but does still enjoy his space, as any good barn cat would.

Rebecca & Virginia are our two original American Guinea Hogs.  We got them as piglets and they have proven to be so much fun!  After a number of litters of piglets these girls are retired and will likely live out their days in their pen enjoying scraps as they come!

Chickens!  We keep a growing flock of free-ranged chickens, now estimated to be about 30-40.  We have heritage breeds including Rhode Island Red and Barred Rock as well as some “barnyard mixes” sired by our late Swedish Flower roo.  We are working to develop hardy foraging birds and are very proud of our current stock.  We are planning on adding some new purebreds to our mixed breed genetics.  The original 7 hens were all named after First Ladies.

Silkie Hen and her mate, Pants (RIP, Pants)

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