A cute pup. Here Mawson is a couple of months old. If
you now want a maremma then, fair dinkum, you are one of the
people who shouldn't get one. I think you just gave away the
fact that aren't going to be dedicated. Try to be honest with yourself
- what is your real motivation. Have you thought further than the cute
photo? How will you get on? Maremmas are tough animals. Life with
them is not at all calm and convenient. Will your partnership last?
Sorry, but I feel a bit strongly about abandoned maremmas.
A notable feature here is that look in his eyes of age and wisdom. I don't think this sort of thing is normal, but in this case it was a true reflection of his nature.
I said that Mawson's job was to
guard our wildlife. Well, here's a picture of him with "his" bettong.
(we look after orphaned wildlife) Isn't he a placid animal. The
picture is a bit deceptive in that if you try to get near his bettong
he won't be very placid for long.
Here's a picture of Mawson being attacked by his combat wombat.
The wombat can't be harmed. Mawson is thoroughly trustworthy. Like all maremmas his guardianship extends to real care for the animals that he is responsible for. Sometimes they are fun too. Wombats are cranky and seem to have an inate desire at times to just attack any living thing. For Mawson it's a wonderful game, and it's wonderful to watch.
The wombat gets aggressive after a minute or two and Mawson's only protection is to litterally hold the wombat steady.
Don't worry about his jaws being a bit forcefull. He doesn't actually hold the wombat but more or less restricts it's options for movement. The bat usually just backs out and resumes the attack. Wombats are slow to think and this gives Mawson a few seconds of respite.
Mawson got a young companion
some time ago ... Chiara. She's the daughter of a magnificent maremma
from Italy, Abruzzo. A real working dog with all the characteristics
that maremma are supposed to have. So Chiara is a valuable dog,
because she too has those genuine maremma traits that are getting all
too rare these days ... and she's an extraordinarily happy bugger
too. We had Mawson for many years, and now Chiara, which is a bit of
an honour.
The main job of our maremmas is to look after our wildlife. Mawson
seemed to learn this role fairly naturally. Chiara was different.
She was like a playful kid ... no desire at all to be careful and
responsible. Notice the awkward expression on her face.
Anyway, over many months she slowly and steadily changed and now acts like a careful mother. Besides their body-guard role, this is how maremmas are supposed to be. She is now very interested in the well being of our little charges and is most accepting of their company, as seen in the following photos with some of our wallabies.
