Congratulations on your new puppy! GP's are wonderful companions. I have a nine month old who is 110 pounds already. His temperament is as soft as his fur, which is what you want with a large powerful dog. The two best things you can do for your pup are lots of socialization and positive reinforcement training only. You want the dog to trust you entirely. Raise the pup around your livestock from the start and she will instinctively protect them. Take her with you everywhere you possibly can, so that she will be used to a variety of situations. Reward every positive interaction with lots of treats and praise and you will have a dog who only wants to please you and who will protect you without being asked. I have rehabilitated and raised hundreds of dogs and know that these are proven methods. Enjoy your new companion.

The expression "more nerve than a fox in a hen house" shows us just how long-standing and common this problem is. We had a fox in the neighborhood. Next door lost quite a few chickens to it. He is a farmer and eats his animals, so he wasn't as particularly attentive to his chickens like we are. This is no insult, I understand the farm life. We keep our chickens as pets as well, so we are very diligent about locking them up at night, and running out during the day anytime we hear an alarm call. Our rooster is on constant guard and screams to us anytime the hawk flies over or the fox would prowl. As a matter of fact, this roo has stood up to the fox, a racoon, and the hawk--not to mention us. He attacks me, but we keep him because is is an ideal watchdog. If I am careful, I can avoid him, if I forget, he kicks my legs. He is fearless, and our girls enjoy his protection. He even guarded some eggs from opossums and skunks. Last summer, I saw the fox dead on the main drag closeby. We were sad (beautiful animal) and HAPPY at the same time. I haven't seen a fox since although I know there are probably some. The fox went after 3 of our girls that were out (the got out of their pen). One of them flew away: she flew away because she was still young and not heavy yet. One ran away: she is narrow in the back and her legs are side by side like a persons, so she can outrun an olympic sprinter! The third--my favorite (Zebe) was caught by the fox. She is a big girl, and fought back, and got loose of the fox. The kids her the fracas, ran outside and the second 2 came running up as if to say, "Help!" Zebe had been grabbed in the neck and was very quiet (not her usual outgoing self). I know because she likes us so much she lived by allowing us to care for her. I tube fed her, and it didn't stress her. We found the fly-away up the road. Everyone lived, but the fox took many of my neighbor's chickens. I guess I am just telling stories here, but a good roo, good fencing (not practical for some, I know), a solid sleeping place, and (which I don't have) a good dog go a long way toward safety. I love wild life, and by what I have read, people here respect it. I was happy not to have the fox around anymore. If I caught it in a trap, I may ask the local zoo or a sanctuary if they wanted it. Is it possible to throw an animal like that off by baiting another area? Robin

I have 4 horses...Lonesome, Tue Lo, Gypsy and Missy (or "Mama" as I call her) 2 dogs...beagle cross named Bobby and a schnauzer x dachshund named Zelda Not sure how many cats...Elmo, James, Tommy, Johnson, Cloud, Mancow, Jo Jo, Crooked Letter, Cracker, Budha, Sonny, Pluto, Wildchild, Mary, Flicker, Big Gooney, Dude, Peeweeter, Triped Tockings, Boots, Annie, Gizmo, Zorro, Snip, Figgy, Beauty, Little Beauty, Norman, Pam, Evil Ears, and Bindi. There could be more that I can't think of right now. A white leghorn rooster named Sparky. A white leghorn pullet named Brittney A peking x muscovy duck named Daisy. Possum....Tater, Jerry, Scar Foot, Celest aka Pretty Woman, Hungry Jack, Gretchen, Oprah, and Loser....and another one that isn't named that is just here because she likes her house and the food. Hungry Jack is recovering from a broken leg and will be leaving in about a month. The rest are non releasable for one reason or another. A squirrel...I call him Ass Hat, but I mean it affectionately. :) A feral pig named Piggy Sue and another wild pig that lives here that I call "Baby". I feed many raccoons, but only a few have names. Audrey...haven't seen her for awhile, so I don't know if she is still here. Cancun, who has been here for 13 years, and Puff, a short tailed raccoon...that I think is one of Cancun's children. Some goldfish and a few koi. I think that's all.

Pixistix, thank you for clearing that up. I was pretty sure that I would be sorry if I attempted to put all that batter into anything smaller than a 9 x 13, or a bundt or two 9" or 8" rounds. I always use my Kitchen Aid for mixing up cakes, so I will get good volume. One of my major pet peeves is a recipe that doesn't give pan size recommendations. I am quite sure that this would be the cake my Mom made often. It was often served with sweetened fresh peaches. I am going to have to put this recipe on hold for a while till I deal with the hugh bunch of rhubarb that a friend dropped off last night.