Naughty Dog Farm: Flowers, Fur, and a Little Farmyard Philosophy

Here at Naughty Dog Farm in Florence, Montana, life is never boring. Between the horse who thinks he’s the boss, 20 chickens with strong opinions, a cat who definitely is the boss, and our senior dog, there’s always something going on. Add a garden bursting with flowers and berries, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for chaos, beauty, and (believe it or not) really good skincare.

But today, I don’t just want to tell you about our whipped tallow balm. I want to share two of my favorite “secret ingredients” for farm life: flowers and pets.

The Secret Language of Flowers 🌼

Long before emojis, people used flowers to send secret messages. A red rose meant love, lavender meant devotion, and marigolds (strangely enough) meant jealousy. Imagine ghosting someone by sending them a bouquet of yellow carnations—that was the 1800s version of “read receipt left on.”

Here at Naughty Dog Farm, I like to think about what our flowers say before I attach them to our specialty jars:

• Lavender → Calm, peace, and healing. Basically the flower equivalent of deep breaths and a bubble bath. Perfect for a balm meant to soothe and restore.

  
  

• Bachelor Buttons (a.k.a. Cornflowers) → Loyalty, hope, and delicacy. Legend has it young men used to wear them to signal they were in love (like the old-fashioned version of updating your relationship status). To me, they also mean sticking with natural traditions.

  
  

• Pansies → Thoughtfulness and remembrance. Plus, they come in those bright, cheerful colors that basically say, “Hey, smile—it’s not that serious.”

  
  

When I top our tallow balm jars with flowers from the garden, it’s not just to make them pretty. It’s like sending a little message to whoever opens it: “Here’s something made with care, love, and a touch of farm magic.”

Pets on the Farm: Helpers or Professional Troublemakers? 🐾

Now, about the animals. People always ask: “Do your pets help on the farm?” And the answer is… sort of.

• The Dog: Thinks his job is quality control. Every time I open a jar, he looks at me like, “Are you sure that’s good enough?” Or anytime he heres a wrapper, he's ready to give that a safety taste test.

  
  

• The Cat: Specializes in supervising by lying directly on whatever I’m trying to do. Packaging our product? There he is, on the tissue paper. Getting a box ready, yupp that's now his box.

  
  

• The Chickens: Provide fresh eggs and nonstop drama. Chickens are basically feathered soap opera stars. Watching them chase bugs, or run across the yard when i have a snack is the best tv show.

  
  

• The Horse: Offers moral support, but mostly just wants snacks and lots of scratches. He's only 3 so growing our relationship is half the fun and all the therapy I need.

  
  

The truth is, pets make farm life messier—but also better. They remind me to laugh when the chicken knocks over my garden starts or when the dog steals the snack meant for the chickens. They turn chores into adventures. And honestly? They make this whole thing worth it.

What It All Means 🌿

Life at Naughty Dog Farm is a mix of old traditions (like the language of flowers), modern homesteading, and a lot of fur-covered chaos. Our whipped tallow balm is just one way we share that life with you. It’s natural, it’s handmade, and it’s touched by the same spirit that makes our farm a little wild, a little funny, and very full of love.

So next time you open a jar and see the flowers attached to the outside, know it’s not just decoration—it’s a tiny love note from our farm to you.

✨ Here’s to happy skin, muddy boots, and pets who probably think they own the place.