The new guard dog

We decided to get another Livestock Guardian dog. Patty is great, but she is getting old, and working dogs tend to age faster than house dogs. We wanted to get a puppy while Patty was still active and getting around so she could train the new dog.

Enter Bucky. She is 3/4 Pyrenees, 1/4 Newfoundland. We got her from some alpaca friends of ours in Holland, Michigan, at Sunset Dreams Alpacas. This is the day we brought her home. She was about 14 weeks old then.



The training seems to be going well; Bucky idolizes Patty, and is often seen trotting around the pasture right behind her. She rarely barks, too, which is nice.

One night, we were laying in bed, and we heard a big dog bark. We were a little freaked out because it was unfamiliar. It was Bucky - her little puppy bark was long gone, and she was barking at some perceived threat. Patty was still in the barn, so this was Bucky protecting her herd all by herself.

Patty and Her Winter Bath

This is Patty, taking a winter bath. This dog sure loves snow!

Our Patty

Patty is a wonderful guard dog. There's been a suspicious critter lurking lately, so Patty has set up shop near the fenceline. She's such a beautiful dog - and such a hard worker. We're incredibly lucky to have her!

Our watchful dog

I think I enjoy Patty as much as the alpacas. She's beautiful, she's sweet, and she's the best behaved dog I have ever had.

This is Patty, checking out the stranger taking pictures in the field. "Hey, you, stay away from my alpacas!"

Patty

We have coyotes on our land.   They are approximately 1/4 mile away from the pasture, but I know they're out there.  I can hear them howling at night, and have seen them wandering out in the fields.

One of our alpacas is going to have a cria (baby, in alpaca-ese) in mid-August.   Knowing that we have a potential predator problem, we have invested in a Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD).   We were fortunate to find a fully trained Great Pyrenees named Patty.    Isn't she beautiful?

Patty is a big dog, weighing in at over 100 pounds.  She's a working dog, and will live out in the pasture with the alpacas.   She's also very sweet.  Just don't try to mess with her herd - you'll be sorry!