MAREMMA

Do you know what a Maremma is?

I had never heard of the Maremma Sheepdog breed until I visited a friend who lived on a farm on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, near Lake Superior. At the time, she and her husband raised sheep because she used the wool in her knitting and weaving. When I first saw the dogs I mistakenly thought they were Kuvasz, a Hungarian breed.

The breed has always fascinated me, and when I saw a news clip about Maremmas in the June 2009 issue of Audubon I was immediately intrigued.

According to the article, a farmer on Australia's Middle Island called in his two Maremma Sheepdogs to help protect a fairy penguin colony that was being decimated by foxes. His dogs wander the penguins' territory for approximately two hours daily, and scientists belive the dogs' lingering scent deters the foxes. As a result the penguin population has rebounded.

It's an odd method of conservation, but this Italian canine has been bred to protect flocks from wolves, bears, and thieves. For more information, follow the "Maremma" link.