Animals
We are responsible breeders of Danish-Swedish Farmdogs,
Kangal Dogs and Boer Goats
We are responsible breeders of Danish-Swedish Farmdogs, Kangal dogs and Boer goats. We employ a rigorous screening and vetting process in placing our pedigreed animals with appropriate owners. Because we are dedicated to ethical breeding practices, we typically have a waiting list.
Our next breeding is planned for Winter 2025
Interested? Please download our placement questionnaire.
Danish-Swedish Farmdog Puppy Placement Questionnaire
Danish-Swedish Farm Dogs
The Danish-Swedish Farmdog is a traditional native breed that has historically served as a guard dog, rat catcher, and hunting dog on farms in the eastern part of Denmark and southernmost part of Sweden. We at Banks Mountain Forest Farm utilize the breed instead of barn cats; these small, active dogs take care of rodent control around the farm. These dogs are a joy to have on the farm and are wonderfully effective working dogs.
Efforts by the Danish and Swedish Kennel Clubs to bring back this breed culminated in 1987 with the first breed standard for the Danish-Swedish Farmdog. In 1998, a DSF was imported to the United States to establish the first official breeding program in North America. In 2011, the Danish-Swedish Farmdog was recorded in the American Kennel Club Foundation Stock Services—the first step to becoming fully recognized by the AKC.
Kangal Dogs
Kangal dogs have been used for thousands of years as livestock guardian dogs, protecting sheep and goat herds on the east-central plains of Turkey. Known for their stable temperament, the breed is a national treasure in Turkey. Kangal Dogs are also treasured at Banks Mountain where they work to protect the livestock from coyotes, stray dogs, and bears, but are warm and friendly whenever strangers visit the farm.
The Kangal dog is recognized in the United States as a breed with the United Kennel Club. The Kangal Dog Club of America works diligently to promote and uphold the breed standard for these magnificent dogs. They are our beloved companions and working dogs at Banks Mountain Forest Farm.
Check back in 2026 for information on the next litter of puppies.
Boer Goats
Boer Goats were developed and improved in the Republic of South Africa and first imported into the United States in 1994 from Australia and New Zealand. Docility, high fertility, and a fast growth rate are some of the traits that set the Boer breed of goat apart in the goat purebred and commercial segments of the Americas.
We sell Boer Goats for pedigree breeding stock and for meat. Goat meat, which is the lowest of all meats for both total cholesterol and saturated fat and the highest in iron, is the primary protein for 80 percent of the world’s population.
Hampshire Cross Pigs
Hampshire Cross Pigs are a well muscled and lean meat breed. They are the fourth most recorded breed of the pigs in the United States. Our pigs enjoy the shade during the summer while grazing the forest floor for insects, roots, nuts and plants.
Suffolk Punch Horses
Our team of work horses, Bonnie Anne and Copper, are the Suffolk Punch breed. The Suffolk Punch is a rare English breed of draught horse that was developed for farm work. They tend to be shorter but are more massively built than other British heavy draught breeds, such as the Clydesdale or the Shire, and have a powerful, arching neck. They are well-muscled, with sloping shoulders, a short, wide back, and a muscular, broad croup and are a critically endangered breed. At Banks Mountain, the strength and power of these horses minimizes our need for mechanical equipment for forestry and timber harvesting, plowing and tilling, lawn maintenance, and snowplowing.
Interested in a Danish-Swedish Farmdog Puppy?
Download our Placement Questionaire to be placed on our Waiting List
We Are Banks Mountain Forest Farm
Meet Bob And Stuart
In 2005, when Bob and Stuart Richens acquired the acreage that is now Banks Mountain Forest Farm, they began to develop a vision for tending the land in a mindful way.
