If you’ve ever come across a dog wandering alone, your first instinct is probably to help by finding its owner. But sometimes, a dog that looks lost is actually just at work. Ranchers in Wyoming are urging well-meaning animal lovers to stop “rescuing” livestock guardian dogs after several have been mistaken for strays and taken to shelters.
Martin Wissner realized his livestock guardian dog named Faith was missing from his ranch near Carpenter. He eventually tracked her down to a shelter 30 miles away, where she’d been taken by a new neighbor who spotted her outside a fence on his property. The well-meaning neighbor had been trying to do the right thing, but Faith, an Akbash, wasn’t lost. She was busy protecting Wissner’s sheep from predators.
Unlike herding dogs, which move sheep or cattle from one location to another, Guardian dogs live with their livestock and watch for predators 24 hours a day, even without a rancher in sight. When someone removes a guardian dog, sheep and other animals become vulnerable. Wissner says, “So many of us in rural Wyoming areas own livestock and rely upon our livestock guardian dogs to protect our flocks.”
Staff manager Carey Sullivan at Paws for Life Animal League’s shelter in Riverton has also noticed the problem. She understands that people who bring dogs to shelters mean well, but their actions can create problems for ranchers. “It has happened quite a bit,” she reveals. “They’re usually very annoyed, because the dog is out there for a job and you’re keeping it from its job.”
Wyoming sheep rancher Jim Magagna advises people to look for signs that a seemingly stray dog is actually working. Well-trained livestock guardian dogs typically stay close to the sheep they protect. As he explains, “If you see a big white dog out there, try to determine if there are sheep in the area.”
Source: Frustrated Ranchers Want People To Quit ‘Rescuing' Their Working Guardian Dogs
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