Well, I was outside around 3am this morning again. This time I was woken up to thumping on the deck. When I looked out it was Emmie, one of our Anatolian LGDs, sniffing around for spilled cat food. Emmie is supposed to be confined to the livestock pastures but with no rain and our dry ground the electric fence has not been "grounding". In other words it is not shocking the animals when they touch it. Emmie, has figured this out and she has been having nightly adventures out of the pasture.

So, I got dressed and went out to return Emmie to the pasture where she belongs. I was hanging out in the barn for a few minutes just watching the animals when a heard something walking through the dry leaves just outside the barn. Tate, my fearless Entlebucher dog, had come outside with me but he was at my feet.

Neither Tate or the LGDs seemed upset so I looked out the barn door only to see our 8 month old bull calf walking toward me. So, he also had walked through the electric fence. He has always been standoffish (something he got from his dam Cherry Blossom) and doesn't take food treats from your hand and is not halter broke. I felt a pit in my gut thinking I would be chasing him around all night. But, I went in and got a leaf of hay and hoped he might follow it. Thankfully, he did. He was closest to the female alpaca pasture gate so I slowly lead him with the hay over to there and with a bit of coaxing got him in that pasture for the night. This is also the only pasture completely fenced in with woven wire so I didn't need to worry about him getting out again overnight.

Someday I will be able to sleep through the night.