Welcome to Our Little Corner of South Carolina

Handley Ranch is a family farm in the South Carolina Lowcountry, where life revolves around family, animals, and a whole lot of country living.We didn't set out with a grand plan to build a farm. In fact, the story of Handley Ranch really begins with a dog.

It Started With a Rottweiler

Before there was a Ranch, there was Roxy. We had always loved Rottweilers, and when Roxy came into our lives, we quickly discovered that living with a Rottweiler was a little different from simply owning a dog. She was intelligent, affectionate, loyal, and full of personality—and she needed room to be a dog. That started us thinking about having a little more land. Then came Max. Then chickens. And before we knew it, the idea of having a few animals had turned into something considerably larger.

Coming Home to the Farm

Our roots are rural, but life had taken us away from the farm. We spent years living and working in places where the closest thing to farm life might have been a backyard garden. Eventually, though, we found ourselves wanting something different. We wanted land. We wanted room for the dogs to run. We wanted animals. We wanted gardens. We wanted a place where we could step outside in the morning and hear chickens instead of traffic. So we made the move to South Carolina. Today, Handley Ranch sits on six acres in the South Carolina Lowcountry. And somewhere along the way, that little idea of “having a few animals” got completely out of hand. We're perfectly happy about that.

The Rottweilers

The Rottweilers remain a very important part of our family and our Ranch. Roxy was the beginning. Max joined the family a couple of years later, and before long we discovered that we weren't simply raising dogs—we were raising a Rottweiler family. Today, the Rott-pack includes several generations of dogs, each with their own personality, quirks, and place in our family. We raise our Rottweilers first and foremost as family dogs. Our goal isn't simply to produce beautiful Rottweilers. We want intelligent, healthy, stable, affectionate dogs that can become cherished members of their families. That means proper socialization, training, health screening, careful placement, and a commitment to the dogs long after they leave our Farm. Our Right of First Refusal is part of that commitment. If one of our dogs ever needs a new home, we want to be there to help. Because once a dog has been born here, we don't stop caring about what happens to it simply because it has gone home with someone else.

And Then There Are the Rest of the Critters

Of course, the Rottweilers aren't the only residents of Handley Ranch. There are chickens. Lots of chickens. There are goats, bees, gardens, and then there's Henry. Henry is our miniature donkey, and like most donkeys, he has his own ideas about how things ought to be done around here. He's not particularly interested in being just another animal on the Farm. Henry has a personality all his own, and he's become one of those characters that makes Handley Ranch feel like Handley Ranch. Then there are all the other critters that have found their way into our lives. Some animals arrive because we planned for them. Others arrive because one of us gets an idea. And every now and then, one of us gets a really good idea. That's how farm life works around here. The Ranch continues to grow and change, sometimes according to plan and sometimes completely on its own. And that's part of what we love about it.

Family Comes First

At the end of the day, Handley Ranch isn't really about the animals. It's about family. The animals just happen to be a very large part of ours. They're part of our daily lives. They keep us busy, make us laugh, occasionally make us shake our heads, and give us more reasons than we need to get outside every morning. We take care of them. They take care of us in their own way. And somewhere between feeding chickens, chasing goats, tending the garden, working with the dogs, collecting eggs, checking the bees, and keeping an eye on Henry, we've built something we never really set out to build. A home. A farm. A family. A little piece of country life that we're proud to share.

Welcome to Handley Ranch.

We're glad you're here!