We recently placed a seven month old spayed
female with some folks who raise goats on a 5 acre farm. In fact, she
arrived last Sunday morning (this is Wednesday) They had been having trouble
with what appeared to be a dog predating the herd and had lost one goat with
others injured. Early this morning the man heard screams and snarls from
his creep feeder pen and ran out to find a rottweiller x mongrel savaging five
young goats. He shot the dog and noticed two forms running away which he
thinks were escaping goats but he is not sure. He also noticed that none
of his other goats or his Pyr were there. He found the main herd bunched
at the far corner of the property (they normally sleep within feet of the pen
where the attack ocurred) with the young female Pyr with them. I
don't know the exact attitude of the dog but from the converstaion she came
across as alert and guarding. Between her arrival and now, the Pry has
stayed with the goats consistently and has alerted every time anything entered
the barn, even her new owners.
Our interpretation of the event was that the Pry
moved the herd as far from danger as possible and stayed to protect
them. Why she did it this way or whether she intentionally left the
young goats to the predator is a mystery. Paula pointed out that if she
had stayed to fight and lost (possible, apparently the attacker, of
unknown age, weighed about 20 pounds more than she did and it's barely
possible that the two escaping forms were other dogs), that the safety of the
entire herd could have been endangered. I think I would have rather had
a dead Pyr and a severely injured predator.
Our questions are:
1. Do you think she reacted
properly?
2. If you think it was a bad decision, do
you think her immaturity played a role in this decision?
3. Do you think she should be retained as
an LGD?
We have offered a refund or replacement for
the Pyr and the man is not interested.
Dan & Paula Lane
Bountiful Farm
Full
Blood & Percentage Boer Goats
AKC Great Pyrenees LGDs
Shady Point
OK
www.bountifulfarm.com