I
'am' a Livestock Guardian Dog
This is somewhat of a
believe it or not. We have had Great Pyrenees
for the last four years and have not lost
a goat to a predator yet (knock on wood).
We have had coyotes and dog packs visit,
but all have left without their meal. Our
oldest Pyrenees has bred several times to
the neighbor Pyrenees and have given us
great pups. Well, this is about one of her
pups from her last litter.
Once the pups are able
to walk, Dixie has them in with the goats.
Sometimes we think she leaves them with
the goats so she can wander the hills but
still has someone to watch over the goats.
When you see our herd, you always see a
dog/pup somewhere near, either in the middle
of or walking around the herd or laying
nearby.
The next to the last puppy
from Dixie’s last litter had just
left for his new home leaving only one female
for sale. This pup may well be the best
puppy we have ever raised. While I was watching
the herd, Dixie and DeeDee (one of Dixie’s
female pups from her first litter) were
up at the barn with me. All of a sudden
the puppy barked; and goats scattered, running
away from where they had been eating. Then
I watched as this cute pup eased over to
the center of where the herd had been eating
and pounced on something. I watched, not
knowing if the pup was just playing with
one of the barn cats or…
Well after a few minutes,
she proudly brought her bounty to Dixie
to show off. It was a 18 inch snake - a
copperhead. It was the first copperhead
I had seen all year. I did not notice at
the time; but as all of this is going on,
DeeDee returned to the herd.
Gala (the pup) dropped
the almost dead copperhead, still squiggling,
on the ground in front of Dixie and sat
down with a look that said, “Look
Mom, see what if found!” I ran; got
a hoe; and separated the head from the rest
of the body. I prefer a really dead snake.
Later, I was moving part
of the goats to another pasture when I noticed
the pup was limping. Upon further examination,
I saw her left leg was swelled – a
lot. I called the vet, and hauled her to
Pulaski to the Animal Hospital. He kept
her overnight then another day. When she
returned to her duties she could proudly
proclaim, “I’m a Livestock Guardian
Dog!!!”
Of course, now we don’t
know if we want to sell Gala
or not.
