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“Retired” cow-herding border collie Smokey, left, helps Crystal learn how to be more assertive with obstinate cows.
Family member and inspiration Crystal seems to love her work, but at the end of the day, she enjoys relaxing in the house just as much. Dena Boersma notes that Crystal wasn’t really part of a family before coming to them. “She was raised just in training and so she lived in a kennel outside,” she said. “When she comes home, she wants to cuddle up on the sofa and she just wants to be with you. And she doesn’t discriminate…. She loves everyone.” Crystal has brought happiness to a year that not only included the hardships on the dairy, Boersma said, but also the death of her father and a beloved pet dog. “I think she’s taught us some good lessons,” she said. “She’s a little on the small side for a border collie, and she’s a little scared sometimes because the cows are huge, but it doesn’t make her quit. She goes after it. And if she doesn’t get it right the first time, she goes after it again. And when you watch, you’re like, ‘OK, yeah, we can’t completely control our circumstances, but we don’t give up. We just keep going. And we keep trying.’ “She’s so happy and grateful to have food and a warm, safe place to sleep and a family. And I think, you know, we have those same things. We have the ability to work, and we feel like it’s a privilege to be in an essential industry where we provide healthy, nutritious food for people and their families. We have plenty of food ourselves. We have a nice safe, warm, dry place to live. We have a good family. She reminds us to count our blessings and be grateful for what we have and not focus on just the negative or the hard part.” Eric Boersma agrees. “In one of the most difficult years we have ever experienced on our farm,” he said, “Crystal has helped us not only to endure, but also to rediscover the joy that farm life brings.”
Hugo is a good ranch watchdog, but is gentle with the grandchildren, including Kayla Bohan.
Hugo, Great Pyrenees mix Shirley Bohan, Butte County
The Bohan family’s dog Hugo is a 2-year-old Great Pyrenees mix that protects their Polled Hereford cattle from potential predators on their home ranch in Durham and summer pastureland in Lassen National Forest. “After reading about Great Pyrenees, in Ag Alert , being guardian dogs for sheep and cattle, we decided to give it a try,” said Shirley Bohan, who runs the ranch with husband Tim, sons Travis and Evan and daughter-in-law Erin. “Our summer pasture unfortunately was completely burned over by the Dixie Fire, but still abounds with bears and mountain lions,” she said. “Hugo is great at alerting us to possible predators with his large, deep bark. In most cases, those predators choose to retreat rather than bother us.” When not working, Hugo enjoys going for walks with the family every evening when they feed the horses and calves and accompanies them when they are out on the horses checking cattle, riding fence lines or looking for tracks.
Linda DuBois ldubois@californiabountiful.com
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March/April 2022
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