Panda was not our first sheepdog, but absolutely the best!

He was loyal and loving and loved the farm and the lavender. Luckily, he lived to be a very old man, almost reaching his 17th birthday. He was special from the beginning. There were only two puppies in his litter, Panda and his sibling who was tiny and had some disabilities. When we picked him up, the breeder told us how special he was because of the way he took care of his little brother. She called him the “gentle giant” and indeed he was.

Panda was also a “world traveler”! When our family moved to Belgium in 2006, Panda came along. He was already 7 years old but adapted well to European life. Although, one day, as we were strolling through the open-air markets, I caught him taking a lick of a baguette sticking out of a fellow shopper’s basket! Needless to say, after that, I kept a very close eye on him!

When we moved back to the farm in 2011, Panda traveled back with us. We had so many fond memories of our stay abroad that the following year, we planted our first 500 lavender plants. This was my way of creating a little bit of Europe in my own backyard.

This picture of Panda in that first lavender field is one of my favorite photos. When my sister, Amy and I started to make our lavender products, Amy’s daughter, Kirby Smith, a very talented artist, incorporated Panda into our logo.

Now years later, we remember Panda every day when we wear our shirts or put a label on one of our products.

Although our sweet old guy passed away, he is still in our hearts, and we now have a little miniature version of Panda. Her name is Ayla and she is also absolutely the best! The next time you visit the farm, be sure to say hello to her. She loves to greet everyone.