When someone asks if we have pets, I’ll talk about our high maintenance house cat and even mention our affectionate barn cats.  But it’s usually a few minutes later I’ll remember to mention my two dogs, Moly and Ruby. I often call the dogs my two best employees, because that better describes them than pets.

Moly and Ruby are both Great Pyrenes, a breed that falls into a group of dogs labeled livestock guardian dogs (LGDs), also a type of “working dog,” similar in nature to police canines, service dogs or herding dogs. The dogs work best in pairs and live with our livestock 24/7. It’s fascinating to watch our dogs work together. The other day while I was checking the pasture, Ruby was laying with the goats on a patch of old hay from their winter feeder. Moly nowhere to be seen. I called for her and a few minutes later she barreled full speed over the pasture ridge. She had been patrolling the north pasture but came back at my call. This is typical LGD behavior, where one dog will stay with the herd, while the other patrols the rest of the pasture. If one dog senses a threat or a disruption, it will bark for the other dog to join them or return to the herd. Rather than attacking, the dogs provide protection in the form of keeping predators at bay. On our farm predators include other dogs, coyotes, bear, wolves, eagles, hawks and even unfamiliar people.

When we have visitors on the farm, I’ll give them a heads up about the dogs and mention that they don’t behave like other breeds of dogs. They won’t come running up to be pet, nor want much, or any attention from people. The dogs are most comfortable with livestock, and that’s due to the breed’s characteristics and the fact that they’ve lived with goats since birth. Both Moly and Ruby live with the goats 24/7, 365 days a year. They don’t come in the house, we don’t take them on walks (except when we were doing some basic training) or take them on trips. In fact, I will schedule veterinarian farm calls for annual checkups to minimize stress on the dogs.  The dogs are feed daily while we check the livestock and they always have access to shelter and water.

Aside from dogs, farms may choose to use other forms of livestock guardian animals, including llamas and donkeys. We’ve used a donkey in the past, but the particular one didn’t work out so he returned to my father-in-law’s farm. The dogs are more appealing for us since they do a better job protecting young livestock from areal predators.

The threat of predators killing livestock is very real, especially in northern Wisconsin. I know farmers who’ve lost calves and sheep to wolves and bear. On our farm we’ve taken measure to protect our goats with Moly and Ruby, our livestock guardian dogs, but also made a substantial investment in high quality woven wire fencing, which includes a strand of electric at the top to keep critters from climbing or jumping in and a strand of barbed wire at the bottom to deter digging under the fence. While we haven’t lost any animals, I know the likelihood of it happening is very possible

If you’re interested in learning more about guardian animals, here are some more resources:

• Livestock Protection Dogs: Selection, Care and Training
• Texas A & M AgriLife Extension Livestock Guardian Dogs
• Livestock guardian dogs protect the flock, On Pasture
• Predator Control for Sustainable & Organic Livestock Production, ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture
• Livestock Guardan Dogs, protecting sheep from predators, USDA

One of my favorite things about being a landowner is the beauty of what’s around me: stands of old growth oak trees, vibrant maple trees in the fall, a pond that attracts birds of all kinds, orange sunrises and sunsets over the fields and tree lines, families of deer and other wildlife.  But it’s what I love that I also fear. While I love sharing our space with wildlife, it also comes with an uncertainty for the safety of my livestock.  Predators like bear, coyotes and even wolves move through our woods and are on the hunt for their next meal.

While I haven’t had an attack on our farm yet, I know the reality of it is very possible. Because of that threat we’ve invested thousands of dollars in new woven wire fence with a strand of electric high tinsel wire and started having a livestock guardian dog live with our goats full time – all because of the threat of predators and the possibility of losing the animals that are an essential piece of my job, business and livelihood I call my farm.  I can’t imagine the pain and financial loss when I hear devastating stories (read more) from other farmers who have lost calves and sheep to wolves and can do nothing about it. The wolf population in Wisconsin is growing and something needs to be done about it. Wolves need to be delisted from the endangered species list and managed responsibly so farmers and even pet owners and families do not need to be concerned about the next wolf attack.

Last week there was discussion from lawmakers, farmers, hunters and other concerned citizens about the idea of delisting the wolf from the endangered species list at the Great Wolf Summit in northern Wisconsin.  To learn more about the Summit and the unfortunate stories of loss of other farmers, including a friend of mine Ryan, read this story from the Wausau Daily Herald.