[kabri]

Hi Amy, what part of Washington are you in? If it's Western, you have to consider the WET that we have here and how it affects sheep. Eastern WA is much dryer. Personally, I have had nothing but problems keeping barbadoes (hair sheep) healthy in the damp weather near Seattle. We have border cheviots which are generally smaller than the North Country cheviots that Ross mentioned. They originated in Scottland, and so their wool is very resistant to rot that some other breeds get from weeks of rain, and their hoofs can take the wet ground way better than other breeds too. Having enough shelter so they can get out of the rain (W. WA) or wind/snow (E. WA) is very important IMO. Cheviots are also smaller and easier to handle because of that. We do have trained dogs, but our oldest/lead ewe's will always come running for a bucket of grain and bring the rest of the flock with them!

Also, if the previous owners were running cattle, you may have to do some extensive fencing... just barbed wire is not sufficient to keep the sheep in, or predators (dogs!) out.