Benson Ranch Giovane

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Giovane (pronounced Jo-va-nay) means young/youthful/green in Italian. We chose this name for two reasons: one, as a play on words because his breeder used livestock spray to mark his rump green to identify him in the litter; and two, he is our youngest dog. Giovane (Gio or Gigi for short) has been a dream dog. He is calm and steady, and immediately went to work with our poultry, potbellied pigs, and goats upon arriving home at seven months old. He never needed to be separated from our stock; he never went through the "teenage phase" that LGD groups warn about. Gio weighs 100lb fully grown and is of a muscular build. He has a slight wave to his coat, short guard hairs, and zero matting, which has made grooming a breeze. Gio is registered with the Maremma Sheepdog Club of America (MSCA) with full breeding rights.

Gio completed PennHIP testing in June 2020 at six months old (PennHIP can be done on dogs 16 weeks or older). Gio's scores were significantly better than the Maremma Sheepdog Club of America's (MSCA) recommended PennHIP cut-off for breeding. The PennHIP results noted there was no evidence of osteoarthritis in either hip. Gio also completed preliminary OFA hip and elbow testing in June 2020. His hip results were "good" and his elbows were "negative." The OFA results found no evidence of hip/elbow dysplasia or osteoarthritis.