this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2023
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Animals with Jobs

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Is it an animal? Does it have a job? Then it belongs here!

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[–] Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world 81 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Just in case this is a surprise two things to remember. LGD have no fear. It was bred out of them years ago. Good ones will not give up on their jobs no matter what. Coyotes are not really that big. They all fluff so they look twice as big as they are.

Though LGD should never work alone. There should always be at least two dogs if they are guarding unfenced animals.

[–] Jerb322@lemmy.world 37 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] SARGEx117@lemmy.world 54 points 1 year ago

Livestock Guardian Dog

Things like Great Pyrenees, Kuchi, most things with "shepherd" in the name, mastiffs. Breeds like that.

Anecdote time: I have a Pyrenees collie mix, and a small terrier. The Pyrenees protects the terrier when they're outside, mostly from the hawks/owls that like to fly around the fields looking for rodents. But I have gone to check on them before and opened the door just in time to see the Pyrenees barking up a storm chasing off a coyote. I'm confident that a coyote wouldn't be able to get through my fence and attack the terrier before I could grab something and fight/scare it off, but I know with the Big Boye out there I don't have to worry about it (but still do, people tell me I Dan leave them out there for longer periods but I keep pacing by the windows and back door to check on them every minute or so they're out there)

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 44 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] moog@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago
[–] polygon6121@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

I googled it for you. Livestock guardian dog. Have a nice day ☺️

[–] enki@lemm.ee 29 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I don't think most people realize how small coyotes actually are. Depending on the type, coyotes weigh on average 25-35 pounds, with the largest males not topping 45 pounds. The smallest male Great Pyrenees weigh 100 pounds, and can get up to 160 pounds. Those coyotes didn't stand a chance, didn't matter he was outnumbered 10 to 1. Imagine the average adult male versus ten five-year-olds. They might do a little damage, but they don't stand a chance of winning.

Yeah it is not close to an even fight. I even saw a video once of a Komandor ruining two off wolves. It was an amazing thing to see. Yeah the wolves could have taken the dog but it would have taken one of with it. It came down to the fact that the dog didn't consider being hurt as a problem and the wolves did.

[–] gruvn@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] blanketswithsmallpox@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Too often women and men forget that you need to kill and maim when fighting for your life.

The amount of times I've seen people just roll over and die when being attacked by smaller animals because they don't want to fight back or hurt it is too damn high.

[–] spacecowboy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago

Right? Bite that fucker and rip it’s ears off. Tear it’s throat out! Bonus points if you can snag both testicles.

[–] apolo399@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

There were two though. The other one stayed protecting the sheep while this guy went on a hunt for 2 days straight.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

LGD is "livestock guard dog"?

[–] Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yep one of the best tools a rancher can own

[–] espentan@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

When people tell me "you're such a tool", that's a compliment, right?

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

Are they talking about your brain or your pee pee? The latter is a compliment, the former is not.

[–] Natanael@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 year ago

It depends on who's tool you are

[–] Daisyifyoudo@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I have a Great Pyrenees and couldn't agree more. Not super surprised about killing the coyotes either; my GP is insanely sweet to familiar humans but has a viciousness towards strange animals like I've never seen in another dog before. And those coyotes were probably a 1/4 of its size.

Yeah I used to know a lady who had some Pyrenees to guard her sheep. They would spend all night running the coyotes off. Then come in for breakfast and sleep all day while her 2yo would drive his toy truck over the dogs. They would never even raise an eyebrow at her kid. To them it is all part of the job.

[–] bilal@programming.dev 66 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I think the additional details make it much more awesome:

Around 2:30 AM, Farmer John Weirwell was startled by a ruckus on his land. Venturing outside, he saw his sheep cornered by 11 coyotes, with his guard dogs, Casper and Daisy, bravely standing in the coyotes' path. Casper, seemingly to divert attention from the pregnant Daisy, lunged at the coyotes. In a fierce 30-minute confrontation, he managed to take down several of them. Realizing they were outmatched, the remaining coyotes fled into the forest, but Casper, a tenacious 85-pound Great Pyrenees, wasn't done. He hurdled a four-foot fence, chased, and dispatched a few more. In total, he took out eight coyotes that night. However, Casper then vanished for two days. Initially feared dead, when local residents began discovering dead coyotes, they surmised Casper was hunting the ones that had escaped him initially. He eventually came back, battered and missing parts of his tail and ear. Thanks to John's quick action and the community's support via the Lifeline Animal Project, which helped raise $15k, Casper underwent surgeries and made a full recovery. He now enjoys a cozy indoor life on the farm.

[–] monkey@lemmy.world 40 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Jesus Christ, that sounds like the John Wick of dogs

[–] Sylvartas@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Great Pyrenee

That's why. They were bred to protect sheeps from bears and packs of wolves. These dogs don't fuck around

[–] NakariLexfortaine@lemm.ee 22 points 1 year ago

Pyrs do not fuck around once the threat is proven. They will be as gentle as can be around their wards, but once you're a threat, they're going to die knowing you're coming with them.

Pair up your Pyrs with a donkey, anything that crosses that fence is fucked.

[–] Squirrel@thelemmy.club 6 points 1 year ago

That's one impressive dog. He more than earned his retirement.

[–] onion@feddit.de 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So the farmer stood and watched for 30min, and didn't call his dog back when he started chasing?

[–] Drigo@sopuli.xyz 10 points 1 year ago

The story don't say anything about how far his dog was from him. Also, dogs don't always listen when they have set their mind to something

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

An old friend of mine has a cattle ranch. Well he doesn't, but his family has one that has been passed down from his grandfather. Anyways, my friend had a big-ass pit bull that would guard the cows. Sometimes the dog would come home completely covered in blood, none of it his. He would look like he just had the best day of his life. His tail would be wagging his body, he would be wiggling all over and just so stoked that he just murdered an entire pack of coyotes.

[–] telllos@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

News flash, it was a bus of school kids.

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 year ago

That'll teach those kids not to walk 50 miles away from school, down a 2.5 mile dirt road, and past the no trespassing signs.

[–] Frozengyro@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago
[–] tpihkal@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

That is the best good boy!

[–] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.de 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Luckily for the sheep, they can now be killed by humans instead.

[–] ickplant@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago (17 children)

Shhh, in my mind, they use them for wool.

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[–] kaboom36@ani.social 22 points 1 year ago

I would think a later death at the end of a captive bolt pistol would be preferable to being torn apart now by wild animals

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] DudeDudenson@lemmings.world 2 points 1 year ago

Pepperdrige farm remembers

[–] Filthmontane@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

He's not a good boy, he's a great boy... But he's also a good boy.

[–] XTornado@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

Unfortunately the coyotes got away and the local morgue didn't have enough space for some of the town victims and had to send the bodies to the next town over. After all it was a terrible afair.

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