We have a new house guest.   Isn't  she cute? 
Raffy found herself in a precarious situation in which her previous owner had the choice of finding her a new home or allowing her to be shot.   I had met Raffy on one previous occasion, and this little dog endeared herself to me with her sweet nature.   When Raffy's owner called, upset and wanting to save Raffy's life,  I immediately knew I had to try and help.   I pointed her owner toward a few local no-kill shelters and crossed my fingers there would be an empty kennel Raffy could call home to buy her some time to find new living arrangements.   Unfortunately, there was no room at the Inn's.

Tom, who knows me all to well,  just got a resigned look on his face and gave me a nod.   And so, Raffy has joined us here at the ranch for a temporary stay while a permanent home can be found.   She has been here less than 24 hours and is already settling in nicely. 

She has met the cats and didn't blink an eye- not even with the ever-obnoxious "let's rub up against the new dog and tickle her nose with my tail" gray cat, Ice.    Raffy passed by the black cat, "don't turn your back on me, Dog, I will cut you in your sleep" Alice, without even acknowledging the cranky kitty's threats. 

Raffy has been meeting our dogs a little at a time and while on leash.  Most of our dogs are very good about meeting new dogs.   They learned to accept new faces while I was fostering dogs for several years.   So far, only our Malamute- Kuno, has copped any kind of attitude at all.   He will come around. 

The Crate is not Raffys favorite place to be, but I've learned over the years it's an invaluable tool when introducing a new dog to a crazy household.   Yummy hot dogs drop from the sky while she is in the crate, and so it's not as bad as she first thought it to be.  

I am crossing my fingers we will be able to find this lovely girl a good home.  She is quiet, pretty laid back, and is taking all these changes to her life in stride.   It has to be scarey for her- new people, new sites, smells, dogs, cats.... but she seems fairly content to calmly observe and soak up attention when given.   She is well mannered and knows a few tricks.   I made a friend for life when I found THE itchy spot behind her ear.  And the big bonus?  She's already house-broke! 

I'll enjoy having a foster dog again.   It's been awhile, and I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to networking to find her a new home.  I have faith though- there is someone out there that will be able to see the diamond in the rough as I do.   If you know someone looking to add a new family member, send them my way and I'll introduce them to Miss Raffy!  

Meet Tag,  the sire of many of our current broodmares.   He is deceased now, but spent most of his life here on the Diamond Bar.    Tag belonged to Tom and his Dad (Steve) and was used to pasture breed a handful of broodmares for many years.   He was injured as a foal (if you look closely, you can see a joint that's a little swollen), but Tom did use him for some light work around the ranch.   
Tag left us with some beautiful and talented mares, including Beauty, 99, Little Bit, Kate, and Cheyenne.  Those mares are now being crossed on William, for our next generation of ranch horses.   Strong roots.   Another reason we are so excited

You can't have just one Cleveland Bay.   I didn't discover that until I got to know William.   Sure, he was beautiful and all, but William also oozes personality.  And then along came Neechi and Elly.   Both of them incredibly smart and willing, with just enough mischief mixed in to keep you on your toes. 

And so,  with the love of the breed in full blossom, we've decided to add another Cleveland Bay.      Born in Wales at the same farm as William and imported to the States as a youngster,  Tregoyd  Victoria will be joining us in Montana in February.   We are excited to meet her!

Victoria (or Ree) is too closely related to William  for breeding purposes, although getting shipped semen for her in the future may be a possibility.    For now,  Tom will have another riding horse, and I have promised to swear off horse classified sites.  For awhile.