The Maremma Sheepdog

We love Maremmas.  Many years ago we purchased a brother and sister pair that were simply amazing.  There names were Sandro and Ilaria and they made us into fans of the breed.  So it was an easy choice to secure another one when we added the Scottish Blackface Sheep to our farm.  We welcomed Orso who came to us from Laughing Lamb Farm (Indiana).  He has become an excellent guardian.

Maremmas are known for their thick white coats, fluffy tails, and their fearlessness. Their name comes from the Maremma marshlands  in central Italy where the breed worked for thousands of years.

The exact origins of the Maremma Sheepdog are unknown because sheep-protecting dogs have existed since ancient Roman times. The breed is thought to share some of its heritage with other mountain breeds including the Kuvasz and the Pyrenean Mountain Dog.

Maremma guardian dogs have been successfully used to protect a breeding colony of the Little Penguins on Middle Island in south-western Victoria, Australia.  Prior to the introduction of the Maremmas, the population of the Little Penguins was almost wiped out completely by foxes who walked over to the island during low tide.  The Penguin population dwindled from about 800 down to just four.  

The first dog on the island arrived about 10 years ago; his name was Oddball.  Since  then about seven dogs have inhabited the island, typically from October to March which is the penguins’ breeding season.  Amazingly, not one penguin has been killed by foxes in that time.  They even made a movie about it titled Oddball.