At Manoir Kanisha we board and groom many different breeds of dogs and cats. Last week, we received a lovely puppy during an overnight comfort stop. He was born in Alberta and was on its way to its new owners in Gaspesia. This is GERRY, a Maremma Sheepdog puppy… very rare breed
He first arrived on a flight from Alberta to Montreal and spent the evening at Manoir Kanisha. He was returned to Montreal Airport to catch a flight Montreal-Quebec City. Then, he took another flight from Quebec City to finally arrive in Gaspesia.
This is such an unusual breed. When I first heard the name of the breed, I thought it was the name of the puppy. The breed MAREMMA is an Italian Sheepdog that is excellent to protect the sheep from predators. Interestingly, he does not herd the sheep to keep them together. Interestingly, he does not herd the sheep to keep them together. The breeder of GERRY explained to me that his MAREMMA will kill Wolves or Coyotes, etc., but he will not herd his sheep. He needs a few BORDER COLLIES to herd his sheep and keep them together. As a result, the MAREMMA will protect his sheep, his dogs and of course, himself.
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Here are a few messages from the new owners in Gaspesia:
From: Gaspésie Sauvage
Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2016 7:50 PM
To: Nicole MacDuff, Manoir Kanisha
Subject: News from GERRY the MAREMMA puppy
Hello Nicole,
Here are two photos we took yesterday of the puppy in his new environment.
He is already sleeping in the barn, surrounded with sheep, pigs, poultry, cows, and cats.
He is really calm with the other animals, and not afraid of them at all, which is good.
Our kitties already adopted him.
I think he’ll become a nice guard dog.
All the best to both of you !
Thanks.
Gérard
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From: Gaspésie Sauvage
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2016 10:43 PM
To: Nicole MacDuff
Subject: Pictures of GERRY at Manoir Kanisha
Bonsoir Nicole,
Merci pour les photos de GERRY, notre nouveau chiot MAREMMA.
Il est bien arrivé à destination.
Il fait maintenant connaissance avec son nouvel environnement.
Bonne continuation.
Gérard
GERRY, Maremma Sheepdog puppy… very rare breed
“A Maremma is a livestock guarding dog, bred in Italy for centuries to guard large flocks of sheep on the plains and in the mountains. Other Old World breeds with similar temperament are the Great Pyrenees in France, the Komondor and the Kuvasz in Hungary, the Tatra in Poland, the Shar Planinetz in Yugoslovia, the Anatolian and Akbash in Turkey, and the Tibetan Mastiff in Nepal and Tibet. The Maremma originally lived day and night with its flock, and its white coat mimics the coat of the sheep in its flock. It was bred to take responsibility for keeping the flock safe from 4-legged predators, primarily the wolf, and from 2-legged thieves. He kept proficient at its job by frequent life-and-death battles with the wolves.”
To learn more about this unusual breed, read the following website from the MAREMMA SHEEPDOG CLUB OF AMERICA: http://www.maremmaclub.com/maremma-faq.html
