On properties like ours, there is much to protect from unwanted predators. Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGDs) are a popular approach.
We’ve always been (outdoor) dog lovers, so we looked forward to acquiring an LGD or two. We learned that several breeds were developed to have the instinct and temperament to be excellent LGDs. Two in particular are Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherds. Equipped with the apparent wisdom of acquiring and training an LGD prior to having livestock on the property, we went looking. This was early 2023.
One sunny day in January we got up early to visit Trade Day, the nation’s largest flea market in Collinsville. We went specifically to find a good deal on peach and apple trees. (We’ll blog on Trade Day separately- it’s amazing!) Instead, we came home with that fluffy GP/Anatolian mix you see in the picture above. We kept her inside for several weeks until we felt she was big enough to remain outdoors permanently. It didn’t take long for her to become quite large, and for Christi to fall in love with her. Since she was to be an LGD, we called her LG (“Elgie”) or Elgie Bear.
LGDs work best in pairs, we learned. Christi, who was a daily student of all manner of Facebook groups devoted to LGDs, found a potential companion for Elgie. Hank belonged to Tennessee homesteaders who were selling some of their sheep and didn’t need Hank, their third LGD. Off we went to Chattanooga for a rendezvous. Hank and Elgie were soon best friends, roaming our property together nightly and napping most of the daylight hours.
Hank came in August, just in time for the arrival of our batch of young ewes. Our plan was to keep Hank inside the electric fence with the ewes, since he served as an LGD with sheep previously, and let Elgie handle the long-range perimeter defense task, since she was not used to being contained. We would let the dogs hang out together during the daylight hours and take Hank in with the sheep each evening at dusk. That worked for a while.
Soon, we would awake each morning to see Hank and Elgie together. It seemed that no matter what we tried, Hank just had to be where we were. He bonded to us more than the sheep. Not knowing how to address this problem, we just went with it. As the months rolled on, everything seemed fine, with no predator problems.
Not long afterwards, though, the dogs would occasionally be MIA for breakfast. They would wander back later in the day, apparently exploring the wider world around us. Naively, we didn’t see that as a problem that needed addressing – until Thansgiving weekend 2023. Hank and Elgie weren’t around for breakfast and hadn’t returned home by dinner – and no sign of them the following day. We searched diligently for days, posted on Facebook, hung posters and networked with neighbors. We never saw them again.