One very tough sheepdog

[GunnyGene]

I wonder if the sheep appreciate just how lucky they were? There's a lesson here for people, courtesy of Mother Nature.

Georgia sheepdog fights off, kills 8 coyotes after pack attacks his sheep

A Georgia sheepdog named Casper is recovering from injuries suffered when he fought off a group of coyotes that attacked his sheep.

www.foxnews.com

 

[RC44Mag]

Maybe next time instead of a good ’shooing’ the guy could use a buckshot loaded scattergun to remove the threat from his herd instead of man’s best friend.

 

[ronto]

This brave act is just one of many things dogs have done for us over the centuries and continue to do for us today. Get well soon Casper you are a true hero.

 

[Danjet500]

Love our dogs.

 

[cowboycopus]

My Shepard gets hassled by coyotes all the time. I worry about him a lot.
When I can get a clear shot I'll take it, but neighbors houses are in the line of fire.
Sometimes just the noise of gunfire into the ground works.

 

[RC44Mag]

Love our dogs.

Damn, awesome doggo!

 

[nekvermont]

Gotta love dogs.

 

[wolfsong]

Maybe next time instead of a good ’shooing’ the guy could use a buckshot loaded scattergun to remove the threat from his herd instead of man’s best friend.

Sounds great, but...

Try shooting at a pack of coyotes on the attack, with sheep and coyotes running everywhere. A shotgun is not a good option. They hit everything in range including your sheep. Sheep dogs are bred and trained to keep the herd together and to protect them from predators. Great Pyrenees are awesome for that job. Cheaper than hiring a human shepherd, too.

 

[RC44Mag]

Sounds great, but...

Try shooting at a pack of coyotes on the attack, with sheep and coyotes running everywhere. A shotgun is not a good option. They hit everything in range including your sheep. Sheep dogs are bred and trained to keep the herd together and to protect them from predators. Great Pyrenees are awesome for that job. Cheaper than hiring a human shepherd, too.

The guy was there witnessing the attack and had nothing to protect his flock other then his dog. But he had nothing to protect his dog. The dog did his job admirably but paid a hefty price and is lucky to be alive. Most yotes scatter at the sound of a shot and even if it didn’t a very careful shot or two might hit a predator and not a sheep or friendly K9. Even if inadvertently a sheep was hit so be it, I’m protecting my dog.

Taking a safe shot on the outskirts of the flock at a tote or two might have gotten the attack halted before it even got going, but not knowing the size of flock it’s hard to say. A rifle might have been a better choice but without knowing the layout of the land this happened on I said shotgun to be on the safer side. Either way if I have a safe shot, I’m taking it. Better to have it then not.

In order of protection it’s people first, then dog then sheep. This brave dog certainly had an impressive body count, an Ace plus 3.

 

[Mobuck]

Not actually a 'sheepdog' but more appropriately a 'livestock guard dog'. Appears to be a Pyrenees. I'm very surprised that the entire pack of 8 coyotes stayed until all were killed. Most of the time, if one gets nailed the rest run away. I've never witnessed a coyote even think about a face off. Maybe this was inside an enclosure and the coyotes couldn't escape??
The above story is one reason we seldom have a single dog with the goats also why we recommend 'new' LGD owners start with a mature dog that knows how to fight. I've watched the old 'Grandma' dog teach pups how to make a 'one shot kill' and it's very quick.

 

[wolfsong]

The guy was there witnessing the attack and had nothing to protect his flock other then his dog. But he had nothing to protect his dog. The dog did his job admirably but paid a hefty price and is lucky to be alive. Most yotes scatter at the sound of a shot and even if it didn’t a very careful shot or two might hit a predator and not a sheep or friendly K9. Even if inadvertently a sheep was hit so be it, I’m protecting my dog.

Taking a safe shot on the outskirts of the flock at a tote or two might have gotten the attack halted before it even got going, but not knowing the size of flock it’s hard to say. A rifle might have been a better choice but without knowing the layout of the land this happened on I said shotgun to be on the safer side. Either way if I have a safe shot, I’m taking it. Better to have it then not.

In order of protection it’s people first, then dog then sheep. This brave dog certainly had an impressive body count, an Ace plus 3.

I'm assuming that you haven't had a whole lot of exposure to coyotes, sheep and sheep dogs.

The pack mentality of coyotes in attack mode are not easily deterred by the sound of gunshots. Sheep dogs are with the sheep to protect the sheep. That is their job. They are not family pets. Shotguns are indiscriminate; rifles are much more precise. But even then, the risk of collateral damage along with a lower percentage of clean hits makes shooting into the melee a risky proposition at best.

Between the flocks of sheep grazing the alfalfa fields during the winter after the last cutting and the feedlot cattle pens full of springers we get a lot of coyote predation. Shotguns are not the weapons we use to protect livestock with. Of course, you may utilize whatever means you feel is best for you. We prefer dogs and scoped AR-15s.

 

[wolfsong]

My last "sheep dog" Girl. Half Alaskan Malamute, half Great Pyrenees. 100 pounds of solid coyote protection. Chased and fought her fair share of coyotes and always came out victorious, even when there were no sheep around. I miss her.

 

[Mobuck]

Our Ackbash LGD 'Duke" is here for the winter. He's been very concerned with my disability and has been extremely careful when he comes to be fed making sure he doesn't bump me. For the first 2 weeks after I was able to get out and feed him, he would belly crawl up to my feet and wait for his feed. Guess he could sense the frailty. This morning for the first time since I was burned, I got on my knees and rolled him over on his back for a good belly rub which he thoroughly enjoyed. As soon as I said "Help me up Duke" he stood and braced so I could use him like a sawhorse to stand.

 

[eveled]

This thread reminded me of this Thompson advertisement.

 

[M77-375LH]

Here’s a Great Pyrenees Gizmo, he is 160 lbs , our protector and he hates coyotes,
Our German Shepard lab cross girl Tia , tag teams with him on coyotes
They protect out yard from two legged varmints also

 

[jyo]

Love our rescue dogs---we got no sheep to protect, but they keep the sh*tbirds away from our property (we live in the city) and provide much enjoyment as strong, loyal, loving friends...

 

[Richard001]

Interesting read about livestock guardian dogs and many different takes. About 30 years ago we ran about 300 Angora goats in several different pastures And certainly we could not be with them all the time. We used Maremma guardian dogs that originally came from Italy. They look just about alike the Pyrenees. Never lost a single goat when the Maremmas were with them. We fed them daily in the pastures as they didn’t want to leave the herds.They were always kind to humans— unless you touched one of their flock! As owners they were okay with us working the goats, but not a stranger. Had to lock them up when we would have the vet out or the shearing crew. If coyotes came around they would never leave the herd unprotected as coyotes would try to lure him away from the herd while another coyote would try to grab one. Smart dogs and we really enjoyed them.

 

[contender]

Re-read Mobuck's posts.

A livestock guard dog. Doing what he was bred to do and maybe trained to do. I OFTEN recommend to people who own livestock to get a couple of these dogs, train them, and let them be the best investment for protection of their valuable livestock.

Casper is a good livestock guard dog.

 

[woodsy]

When we had our vacation house in Vermont we frequently passed a goat farm which had two of those shepherds "living" with the goats. I was too cautious to stop and greet the dogs because I could imagine if they didn't want me to.

 

[vito]

People who own dogs only as pets may not appreciate the abilities of these animals when properly trained and bred. A number of years ago we considered getting a Berger Picard, a French herding dog breed that was almost wiped out during the trench warfare of WWI. Brought back by careful breeding, this breed has a small but loyal following in the U.S. The herding instinct is so strong in this breed that if there are no sheep, or cattle, or other livestock to herd the Picard will find something to herd and control. I know of one family that had a Picard and two small children which the dog both protected and herded. The problem was that when the children did not want to be herded the dog could get a bit aggressive with nipping to keep the kids under his control. We decided not to get this breed just for that reason, since at the time we had a number of very young grandchildren. This breed was the dog in the movie "Because of Winn-Dixie".