Smart sheep, good dogs

[Tea]

Well

 

The shepherds guardian angel watched over my sheep today.

 

My best...my very best milking ewes were out 10 miles from home. I had trailed them there this early am.

 

There is a fenced pasture there, nice fence, tight strong.

 

Everyone around there knows about the sheep coming there.

 

One strange dog....... A nieghbors visiting daughter's dog got in with the ewes and then they busted out and were scattered all over the countryside.

 

Deep forest, miles of trails.....

 

I got a call and loaded up the dogs and got over there as fast as I could.

My heart was sinking.

Only One poor ewe left, her face bitten. Backed up againest a house. Gathered her up and started backtracking. Sent one dog on up ahead the other stayed with me and the one ewe. (Herding one ewe that has been run by a strange dog is....tough.)

 

Finally caught up with most of the flock, some were spattered with blood but seem ok.

 

They were on the trail home.

 

I kept sending dogs on trails while backtracking with the flock.

 

Finally made it home. Put those ewes away.

 

Hope they don't bloat!

Went out to find the rest.

 

Finally found the others brought them back. Dogs found them all.

 

They seem ok...just shook up a few nips.... I am very lucky...... My poor ewes.....

 

The nieghbors daughter had walked her dog up to see the sheep? But how did the dog get in? There are no holes? Fence is tight at ground level? Electrified....

 

My husband found the hot wire turned off.

[Sue R]

I hope all the sheep recover uneventfully. What a worrisome day for you, and congrats for having such good dogs to help out!

[Pippin's person]

That sounds awful and it's great that the outcome so far seems o.k. Yay for your dogs. Bad neighbor. Is it a common experience to have strange dogs get in with sheep?

[Tea]

No, it is very uncommon. About 4 years ago a friends goat farm got hit by a pair of dogs and he lost alot of goats.

 

I bet this person was not an islander.

 

But the hot wire.....Did I forget to turn it on? I don't want to think that someone turned it off?

 

I don't want to put LGDs out there that far because they'd shred a dog that got into the sheep.

 

My back hurts, man I must of walked too far!

 

I didn't ride because I couldn't see the tracks in the duff from on top of a horse.

[Liz P]

Very good dogs indeed. I do hope the owner of the dog is paying for any expenses you may have as a result of her dog getting in with your sheep.

 

Some people are just, well, stupid. I was at a charity even today (to raise money for cancer research). A woman had a French Bulldog with her and told me that the dog's ear had stitches because just days previously she had gone through a hole in the fence to attack the neighbor's GSD. She then proceded let her barking, snarling dog rush to the end of her leash and ask if it could "play" with my dogs. I told her point blank, "That's not a good idea." She walked away looking rather insulted. The rest of the day that dog tried to start fights with every other dog there.

 

I've given up on being polite about my animals. If I don't want them bothered it's my job to protect them from the stupid people of the world, and there are a LOT of them!

[Sue R]

I don't want to put LGDs out there that far because they'd shred a dog that got into the sheep.

You might just have to do that to avoid having a dog shred your sheep. You are very fortunate to not have any more damage than you experienced.

 

Best wishes!

[Tea]

This morning my husband and I talked about putting the LGDs out there. Its not our land and we are concerned about liability. We have permission to browse that whole area. Which I need badly!

 

But any dog that goes in with those LGD is not going to come out. I also worry about weird tourists. As we have had some odd people ask if they could live with the sheep?

 

My ponies will attack strange dogs. I could leave one or both of them in there, but the problem is the dang things JUMP OUT!

(These are the buffalo ponies from my relatives on the rez.)

 

I guess I have to go back out there and talk to those folks. Again.

 

My ewes look ok. The bitten ones stiched, put on antibiotics. But I bet they abort. They are early breeding type sheep and have been with my rams.

 

I am always counting on twins and triplets but this year I don't think so.

 

I have to somehow make it clear to those folks that this kind of thing will really hurt me financially. Something I or anyone else doesn't need right now!

[bcnewe2]

If it were me, I'd be talking to the owners of the property about putting the LGD's in with the sheep. My LGD's were very people friendly so I wouldn't worry so much about the odd ball person but for the strange dog....yes it could get ugly. Have you seen how your LGD's react to strange dogs?

Mine were fine with dogs that came here with no bad intentions, but I saw first hand several times what they did with dogs that had sheep on their mind.

 

They never got in a fight that I know of but the times I wittnessed things it was made clear right from the start that the strange dogs were not welcome. I saw them back 2 lab/pitte type dogs right off the prop. No blood, no attack, they just ran up to them with a take no prisoners type attitude and the other dogs choose to back off. They followed them right to the edge of the property and watched as the dogs slipped under the hotwire. I was amazed at how quiet the whole thing was. THEy didn't bark, or growl but I could tell from across the pond they meant business. I guess the offending dogs could too. Then they turned around dropped their tails and plodded home. 2 of my BC's were watching and barking from the porch. Since selling the sheep and LGD's I've seen my BC'c chase a strange dog off the prop. That was scarry and ugly. My dogs went barreling after the offending dog, barking and teeth barred. The other dog ran for it's life. When I sucked the air back in my lungs I sorta freaked out realizing how horrible things could have ended.

 

Sure hope your ewes are ok. Right after we sold most of the sheep and LGD's I had 4 sheep left for butchering. It wasn't a week before I lost them to what at the time I thought was coyotes, but now realize it was probably dogs. The first one I had to put down, it was laying out in the pasture all ripped up. Ears torn off and butt chewed up. ONe was just gone and the other 2 were in the lean too. The next day the others were gone. 2 days later I found the last one, again all ripped up. I had to hunt it down in the woods and shoot it. Poor guy was suffering miserably. If it had been coyotes I don't think they'd have left it to suffer.

Since I haven't sold my farm and looks like it's going to be a while, I'd love to get a few sheep to play with. But since I sold the dogs with the sheep, all I can have are cattle. I have a friend who's getting another LGD to help with her first one. We're going to co-raise it so we can put her dry young ewes here with a dog and my pastures can get some grazing done.

 

I have no sympathy for dumb people and their dumb dogs. I don't want to see bad happen but better their dogs than my sheep.

 

Good luck.

 

Kristen

[Bill Fosher]

Tea,

 

After finding dead fences a few times, I have developed a new habit. I always check the voltage last thing before I get in my truck and drive away. That way there's no question about whether I left the fence on or not. I have still found it disconnected a few times -- it often goes in spates and is worse when the sheep are near a road but away from houses. Usually it's just a lead disconnected from the battery, sometimes it's wires reconnected incorrectly.

 

I think it's people who want to visit the sheep and guard dogs -- mine are either friendly or aloof to people. No one's doing any harm, other than putting the sheep at risk of attack or escape. At one point I put a note on the battery that said something like, "The power on this fence is the only thing that stands between these sheep and coyote attack. Please do not touch!" The next day there was a handwritten addition in what looked like a woman's penmanship that said, "Sorry!" and had a little sad face.

 

As far as putting guard dogs with your sheep, I would not worry about liability provided you can be relatively sure they will stay in the fence. I'm not 100 percent clear whether it's the ponies that jump out or the dogs. But I'd think that if your dogs were to cause harm to a dog that was within the fenced enclosure, no one would have any cause of action against you. Similarly, people should know better than to enter a fenced field.

[Tea]

Thank you everyone, very good advice.

 

I have talked to the neighbors and we are working it out about LGD

 

And the ponies.

 

Its my ponies Bill that jump out.

 

(They are only about 14.2 hh but they jump like deer and are pretty onery. They don't like to be one place too long, get bored jump out and come home.)

 

I will also make a sign, and check the fence with my tester before leaving.

 

(Heres a funny side line. The horned ewes I guess put up a good fight and the dog was pretty beat up!)

[ragtimedog]

I was so sorry to hear about your "incident." May I ask what kind of sheep you have? Just curious since a friend of mine has milking sheep.

I lost a sheep and a goat to my own dog. He no longer lives here. I was running a bc sled team and was given a great little lead dog. He was given to me because he was hard on sheep (that's putting it nicely) but he loves to run. I had to have a neighbor come and shoot the sheep. The goat was already dead when I found her. I loved that little dog, but he's now someone else's lead dog. I sympathize.

[Tea]

We have a crossbred flock

Freisian, Lacune, Icelandic, dorset

 

I even added a little shetland in there.

 

They are tougher than pure milk sheep breeds which tend to die if you look at them funny.

 

They also can utilize the browse better, and hold up in tough weather. They have good feet. They are parasite resistant.They are hard to work with a dog. The Icelandic don't flock well, although my crossbreds mostly do. The ewes with young lambs and the rams can be really tough. But in this case with the strange dog attack I am thankful that my older ewes did fight, they are horned. It maybe allowed my younger two year old and ewe lambs a chance to get away. This years crop of ewe lambs was an important cross, and I was heart sick about them. It took me 7 years to get them crossed the way I wanted them.

 

They really knew where they were going. Old granny ewes were leading that flock that broke off.

 

That one ewe backed againest the house was my very best milking ewe. (She gives a 1/2 gallon a day in early lactation and ALWAYS twins.) She was so mad. The nieghbor was trying to get up to her and she would charge him.

 

It took both my dogs a bit of time to work her diplomatically so that she would come to her senses and know it was Her dogs and me.

 

The sheep are doing fine and no one has developed any infections. Now it is only the lambing %

 

Oh well such is life.

 

(On another note, my little Cap has run double lead in my sled team. He wouldn't pull but he did like the running!)