Social Media Puppy

Loki

So the story begins..........................  I love my friends dog Loki, an Akbash/ Bernese  Mtn. Dog cross.   They got him as a guardian for the livestock on their ranch.    We were discussing how they have not had any chicken losses (except the one he killed, oops) or goats losses since he's been on patrol.   Well, that got me to thinking...............

Every year we feed the coyote, fox and raccoon population a good many of our chickens.   If Loki is such a great guardian then I needed to look in to a livestock guardian of my own.   What is a farm without a guardian?    Yes, we have dogs,  a Dachshund and a Golden Retriever.   The coyotes just laugh at the Dachshund and as for the Golden Retriever, well,  he is a therapy dog and rather spoiled, so he lives indoors most of the time.

I decided to start researching guardian dogs and was looking on many of the guardian dog rescue sites.   Finally, I decided to check Facebook. There is always time for Facebook.   Low and behold, an acquaintance of mine posted she had puppies for sale. They were Great Pyrenees/ Border Collie crossed.   What a coincidence!  I thought it was certainly an answer to prayer.  This is just what we needed.   The guardian instincts of a Great Pyrenees  and the intelligence of a Border Collie.  SOLD!!  We will take one.

We met a couple weeks later and got our puppy, who was of course, very, very cute.    And very, very, itchy.  And very, very thin. This puppy scratched and scratched day and night.   I gave her a bath several times and put medicated ointment on all her little sore spots.    Poor little thing!   I took my little guardian to the vet, very concerned about her health.    Well, she had MANGE!    AWWWWWWWWWWWWW!   Home we went with a bag of medication. Four weeks and two additional appointments later, we'd spent  three hundred dollars and I had a much more complete understanding of  the term "Mangy Mutt"

In her life time she will have to save around 75 chickens in return for the cost of the veterinarian bill!!  Not to mention the cost of having her spayed .  I am so glad that I have a "do not ask do not tell policy".   My husband did not ask what the vet bill was and  I did not tell.  I am sure that if he knew,  the puppy and I would both be outside in the dog house protecting the chickens together. 

On the bright side she is a wonderful puppy!  She is very smart, at 12 weeks she already knows her commands, sit, lay, and stay.  The vet said that with out treatment she would have died. In the end I guess she needed us more than we needed her!

The moral of the story is to never buy a puppy off of a social media site.....................unless you are prepared to fall in love and possibly spend a lot of money.


Update

The puppy, Shyanne, is now 10 months old.  She has definitely earned her keep.   We have not lost any livestock or poultry on her watch.   She is up all night barking and patrolling her territory.   She makes her presence well know to any potential intruders.   She has also become a great herd dog and is able to return the goat herd to their pen in no time flat.   Good job, Shyanne! 

She even guards the baby when she is outside.

Nebraska Prairie Girl