[pyrnet] Another New Member

[jstaton@islc.net]

Hi!  I have two Great Pyr, Ivy & Buster (aka Peanut Buster Parfait.)  Ivy is a
rescue about 5 yo and Buster is 16 mo.  Ivy and Buster are full time flock
guardians of my 15 sheep and 34 guinea fowl.  Ivy and Buster tend to split
their evening guarding duties- Ivy stays with the sheep and Buster patrols the
fence line.  We did lose one lamb to coyotes this year, but that's the first
loss I've had in 6 years using Great Pyr to protect the sheep.

Ivy is a conformation nightmare- incorrect coat, long body, sway backed- but
very sweet.  She has a very mournful expression.  Buster is badger marked and
very handsome (he knows it, too.)  I groom the dogs at each meal, but Ivy seems
to be all undercoat, her fur is very silky and fine and is always matted and
messy.  Buster is truly double coated with coarser hair on top and a wooly
undercoat.  This type of coat is so much easier to maintain on dogs that tromp
through brambles and lounge in farm ponds!  I do shave the dogs 2x a year
because we live in coastal South Carolina and it's far too hot for them
otherwise.

Our first Great Pyr, Sally, had to be put to sleep last year due to bone cancer.
 She was 5 and a wonderful dog and excellent guardian.  Sally had several
different barks to let you know what was going on.  She had an "all's well on
my patrol" bark, a "something is weird, you should come check it out, but I'm
not overly concerned" bark and finally a "full alarm" bark.  She didn't sound
her full alarm bark much, but when she did I learned to drop everything and
run.  She reserved the full alarm bark for attacking stray dogs and predatory
birds (even a bald eagle, once!)  One Christmas her "something's weird" bark
let me know that a hose connection had burst and we had a small ice rink
forming on the side of the house.  Sally is still greatly missed.

Sorry for the long intro.  I think these dogs are amazing and I can't imagine
trying to have smaller livestock without them.  It still fascinates me to come
out to the pasture and see the sheep all laying down under that shade of a live
oak and realize that the one in the middle is a dog, and not a sheep.

Jenny Staton
Seabrook, SC



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