So I had this story I wanted to share, but then I realized it lacked a certain amount of context. The main character had not yet been introduced, nor any of the doubts and second-thoughts that would bring some depth of meaning to the resolution of the story.
So we go back six weeks or so ago, back to Tasha’s attack. My heifer was recovering, but I was shaken. And only days after the attack, while she was still limping and I was still rubbing her leg down with linament morning and evening and coaxing her to get up to keep the circulation going, a decision was made.
And I drove 180 miles to Olathe, KS to pick up a Great Pyrenees.
Because we needed a dog that slept in the pasture, not on the porch. That bonded with the livestock, not with me.
Now, I had looked at livestock guardian breeds before. I decided at the time that if I ever got one, it would be a Great Pyrenees, but I just didn’t want to deal with the wandering. At the time, we were having enough trouble keeping our stray-who-chose-us Luke on property. And while Luke seems to have finally accepted that the entire countryside is not his home, Great Pyrenees are known for their ever-expanding territories.
And we had other dogs.
But suddenly, as good as our dogs were, and as sure I was that they had stopped the attack against Tasha, they just didn’t seem large enough to deal with a predator that was willing to attack a cow.
And so I drove 180 miles to pick up a puppy. Who was given a bed in the barn and a pen in the pasture so that he could be moved with the cattle back and forth, yet be safe until they accepted him and stopped charging him every time he approached.
And there were so many doubts. Was a book and a dozen websites enough to train this dog and learn to manage him?
I had to give up Jake. My dog. And while I know he is doing well with his new family and I know I made the right decision for him and for our poultry, I still miss him. Because more than any of the others, he was my dog. Always at my feet or at my side or with his big head in my lap. He was my dog and I missed that.
After watching him go, I decided I might keep one of Faithfull’s puppies. It would be nice to keep one out of the litter, and it would be nice to have a dog that was just my dog.
But five dogs would be a bit much, so I knew this puppy from Kansas would replace that dog. Except that he wouldn’t be mine. He would be Tasha’s and Candy’s. And he wouldn’t come put his big head in my lap while I sat on the porch and looked at the cemetary. He wouldn’t even care.
But he would provide some safety for our heifers and hence some hope for the life we want to lead here.
My husband named him Flee, for “all coyotes shall flee at his very presence.” The kids just call him, “The General.”
As to the actual story I wanted to share, well, here it is: Restless.
I homeschool my children on a small hobby farm in rural Nebraska and write about life more abundantly, from the joy of a baby's smile to the almost unbearable grief of losing a son while seeking beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of the spirit of despair (Isaiah 61:3)
So cute. I have thought if I ever get a LGD, I will get a Komondor. Beverly has dreadlocks; the dog will have dreadlocks. It could work!
I like the name Flee.
Those are so cute! I can’t imagine taking care of that coat, but it certainly would be fun to have one! Have you heard of the Hungarian Puli? It is a similar dog and also a livestock guardian, but smaller. My only claim on their excellence is that I met one once, but I always liked them as well.
We have a 6 old Great Pyrenees. He is a WONDERFUL dog. They are very easy to train and while they are incredible watch dogs, they are tenderhearted as well. The one piece of advise I would give is this. Don’t start loving on him until he is fully trained. I know that sounds cruel but he will be easier to train and a much better dog all around. Once he is trained, you can love on him all you want. They are verrry protective, even with kids. My daughter was 6 when we got ours as a puppy. There isn’t any separating him from her when they are together. Oh, and a coyote problem with my goats….. there is no problem.
That sounds wonderful! He gets a little snuggle every morning and evening when we get him to move with the cattle, but other than that, he’s pretty much on his own with them. They seem to be bonding pretty well. This morning, he was pouncing on Tasha to try to get her to play, but at night, they sleep with Flee snuggled between them.
We have a great pyreneese that we rescued from the side of the road. He was a terrible mess, when we found him and brought him home. That’s why he’s named Patches. We don’t have cows, but we do have a horse and 2 donkeys. (It’s strange, but I think he’s in love with our female donkey.) There are cows down the county road from us. They are someone’s “weekend animals.” Occasionally, the cows get out of their fence. Patches herds them in. He looks so proud of himself, when he does this. To my knowledge, he was never trained to do this. I guess it just comes naturally. He’s just about the smartest dog we’ve ever had. I told my husband that we need to get him a cow.
Now, I think getting a cow for the dog would be way more interesting than getting a dog for the cow. But after having herding dogs, I definitely understand. It’s just so neat to see them doing what they were bred to do!
Flee likes our horses, too. Our pony panicked the first time she was left alone on pasture and started charging around like a wild thing. I was afraid she was going to hurt herself or charge right through the fence, but wasn’t quite sure what to do. Flee went over to the fence and she came over and touched noses and then he just trotted with her up and down the fenceline and until the fear went out of her eyes and she was holding herself more relaxed. Then he went back to his food dish and she wandered off to graze. She hasn’t had any trouble on pasture ever since!
Patches does the same thing with our donkey. They were also rescues and the female is still not sure about us. Patches just calms her down. It’s very sweet to watch.
That is sweet! I just went down to visit our cattle and Timmy (the English Shepherd) went with me. Candy decided she wasn’t happy about that and started bellowing at her so Flee trotted over and gave her kisses until she went back to grazing. He likes everyone to be calm and relaxed, I think!
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This post makes me so sad. And it rings true for every decision a mother has to make that puts her family before herself. All the candles I loved to light, put away because of little hands. Antique books stored in suitcases instead of on shelves because a toddler ripped the pages out of a first edition Middlemarch. All the fragile plants I loved to grow, given to people who had higher shelves or safer spots. My favorite dishes in the high cupboard after losing too many to ‘oops’ moments. My kitty given to a wonderful new home when one my kids became allergic. Small, small things. But they add up. Little comforts gone.
But I’m praying little sacrfices made in love are worth more than the comfort it was.
Hugs on the loss of your Jake.
Love this story about how you came about getting your Great Pyr. I am so sorry about your other dog. I am assuming he ate some chickens. That is so sad. A friend who got a Pyr from the same litter as I did had a pyr eat a few chickens and chase a lamb. I think you really did it the right way. You got a dog for your cows. I got a bummer lamb for my pyr puppy and quickly learned that what I need to get for the puppy was a bigger sheep or even a ram who would have taught the puppy a little respect and/or fear while he learns his job. I now have the dog with the goat, lamb, ducks and chickens, but they are separated by electric poultry netting. He is a great dog… he just needs to learn to be a livestock guardian… he is getting there, just turned one. We have lost no animals to predators since we got him, though my neighbor in the pasture that meets ours has lost 3 sheep in the same time.
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