School’s out for summer and you know what that means. . . it’s yearbook time! Take a look through our Patina Farm Animal Yearbook and you’ll see that our animal’s personalities are as varied as the rest of us. You can purchase many of our animal portraits, taken by Valerie Shaff, in our online gallery.
THE GOATS
Our pygmy goats often steal the show with their adorable charm — which leads them to features on book covers. We think you’ll love them as much as we do.
SAMMY
The Comedian - Sideways dancing, full-body leaps, and standing on hind legs — he’s always there to provide a funny show.
IDA
The Thinker - Sister to Sammy, she’ll calmly observe his antics and then benefit from his hard work after he knocks down leaves and branches.
DOT
The Soc - She’s the first to greet you and the last to see you leave, following you along like a sweet, wiry dog.
THELMA
The Watcher - She keeps her distance, but she’s protective of our other goats and takes her job very seriously.
THE SHEEP
We lovingly refer to our sheep as our Couch Potatoes. They’re masters of R&R, nap-taking, and sniffing out a good meal. They can also be found occasionally playing with the goats.
LINEN
The Caretaker - She’s the girl who waits for the other two to find their place at the feeder for dinner or to select their sleeping spot in the barn.
CASH(MERE)
Lead Couch Potato - He always has a smile on his face while living his best life of eating, playing, and napping.
PAISELY
Mellow Madam - She’s reliably sweet, calm, and content.
THE POTBELLY PIGS
We never thought we’d get pigs because we were worried they’d be smelly. Despite their bad reputation, they’re actually some of our cleanest animals. Which isn’t surprising, when you find them sneaking a bath in the donkey troughs!
PRUDENCE
The Leading Lady - She’s always the first to check out a new situation, whether it's a fresh mud bath or an unfamiliar visitor to the farm. The other two always wait for Prudence’s ok.
HENRY JAMES (HANK)
The Boss Pig - He steals Alice’s food if we don’t separate them, but otherwise he’s known as a sweetie who loves to flop over for belly rubs.
ALICE RUE
The Shy One - She tends to hang back from a crowd, watching her brother and sister for a signal that everything is alright. While she is shy, once she trusts you, she will roll right over.
THE DONKEYS
The donkeys are our alarm system. They will let out a bray to let us know if there is anything awry...or if they're hungry.
BUTTERCUP
The Ruler - She leads the group with a bossy gentleness to be admired and is best friends with Daisy.
DAISY
The Dainty Donkey - Though she’s small and shy, she’s tough when needed and playful when wanted.
BLOSSOM
Forever Friend - She greets everyone and gets along with many, as a loyal friend to cats, humans, and other donkeys.
HUCKLEBERRY
The Dapper Donkey - His dappled coat shows his true colors, as does his loyalty to Blossom. He loves attention and will follow visitors around, begging for more scratches.
THE COWS
We call our cows "The Mooers and Mowers." They greet us in the morning with a harmony of moos, letting us know they are ready to begin the day. They spend their time grazing our pastures, turning green grass into manure or "black gold", that we add to our gardens to improve the health of our soil.
BEATRICE
Queen Bea aka Bossypants - She loves to be brushed but tries to keep all the attention to herself, swinging her horns to keep the other ladies away.
CLEMENTINE
The Social Butterfly - She sashays over to greet you with her tail wagging behind and plenty of slobbery kisses to go around, reminding us of a large dog — with horns.
ADELAIDE
Puppy Dog Eyes - She’ll melt your heart with her sweet, gentle personality, especially when you see her play with our black cats, Bonnie and Clyde.
ANNABEL
The Sweet Shadow - she’s happiest hiding behind her best friends, Adelaide and Clementine, when visitors arrive in the pasture.
THE CATS
Our kitties are always on the prowl for mice, and sometimes cuddles.
BONNIE
All Business - She spends her days chasing off rodents and prefers to be on her own during the hunt.
CLYDE
The Patina Farm Ambassador - With his sleek black coat and stealthy presence, he pops up everywhere and knows everyone on the farm. He’s our gifted diplomat who mingles easily with all types — chickens, highland cows, and humans.
SHERLOCK
Marmalade Wisdom - His patience and grace is most evident when he’s surrounded by four energetic Shih Tzus and never loses his cool. He loves his people, standing outside the door meow-ing for cuddles.
WATSON
Cautious Kitty - He’s a little shy at first, hanging back to let Sherlock give the all-clear that it’s okay to make contact; but when it comes to adventure, he throws caution to the wind. We often find him climbing trees or walking on our roof.
THE SHIH-TZUS
The Patina Farm "farm dogs" never fail to entertain us.
SOPHIE BRIOCHE
The Dowager Queen - Her mere presence is a gift she has given us all.
SERA
The Nervous Licker - You’ll know her when you feel her tongue all over your hands.
OTIS
The Needy Man Dog - Steve’s huge manly dog, weighing in at 8 pounds.
RUBY
The Fetus - She’s the runt of the bunch and Otis’ sister from the same litter, weighing in at a hefty 5 ½ pounds.
THE CHICKENS
My gateway animal - how it all began
THE DUCKS
They prefer to be left alone, so we simply and respectfully cohabitate with them. 😆
THE TURTLES IN THE POND
We occasionally see them poke their heads out to say hello. 🐢
We love all the members of our animal family and can’t imagine life without them. They’ve taught us so many lessons, and we treasure their varied personalities.
We’re forever grateful for the work of Val Shaff, who captured the individuality of our animals in her incredible photography. The portraits of our animals can be purchased in the Giannetti Home online shop.
Thank you for taking the time to enjoy the animals with me.
xo
Brooke
