A friend recently shared a thought-provoking Facebook post with me, which I found deeply resonating with the spirit of LGDs. I shared it on our Facebook page in May, and I thought it would be fitting to include it in this month’s blog, as it beautifully captures the essence of these remarkable animals.
An LGD perched on a high spot overlooking his charges. AgriLife picture courtesy of Becky Wofford 2023.
“An LGD Never Retires” – author unknown.
At some point in time, the young LGD becomes the old LGD. He can’t run as fast anymore, if at all. His claws have been worn smooth, and his few teeth are no longer sharp. His joints ache, he is no longer slender and muscular, and his hearing and eyesight are no longer acute and keen. He has passed his watch over the flock to the younger pups he taught and raised. Occasionally, he passes some of his pups while he wanders amongst the flock; those pups who remember him present themselves with courtesy and respect. Other young pups ignore him, not knowing who he is or recognizing the scars he has earned from fighting predators over the years.
But, when the wolf arrives, the one thing that has not left the old LGD is his indomitable spirit; he still yearns for the fight with the wolf. The younger LGDs rush to protect the flock, and despite the wear of time and age, the older LGD runs in alongside them, a testament to his unwavering dedication.
There are times when the old LGD confronts the wolf alone by himself. The wolf appears, and the younger LGDs, for whatever reason, are not around – they can’t be everywhere at once. The wolf circles and snarls; he isn’t afraid of the old dog. Yet, it is still within the old LGD to rise up, take a stance, bare his teeth, and growl. He will still take on that wolf, for he still protects the flock and will, as he always has, to the end of his life if necessary. He does this because it is who he is, what he is, an LGD!
This unwavering determination is a testament to the indomitable spirit of the LGD that protects our livestock daily.
AgriLife Livestock Guardian Dog Program: Update and Events
Our next online seminar, scheduled for Aug. 22, will feature Dr. Julie Young, who will share her extensive knowledge, research, and insights on LGDs. This enlightening event is a must-attend for all LGD enthusiasts. To register, please check the events page on our website in late July. The workshop will be hosted on Zoom, ensuring easy access for all, and as always, it is free!
The annual AgriLife Center Field Day will be held on Aug.16 at the Center in San Angelo, followed by the Texas Sheep and Goat Expo at the Spur Arena on Aug. 16 – 17. This year, an LGD workshop will be held during the Expo on Aug.16. Producers can register for the field day and expo on the AgriLife Center – San Angelo’s events page. The Texas LGD Association will also hold its annual in-person meeting after the Expo ends on Aug. 17 in the lobby of the Spur Arena.
Bonding Project Update
Round Five Dogs
Pearl anxiously runs to greet us! AgriLife picture courtesy of Costanzo 2024.
I visited all the producers recently to check on the dogs and see how the pups are progressing. Pearl is doing much better and has stopped chasing the goats at her ranch. The Komondors seem to be maturing slightly slower than the other breeds we tested. I hope to try some more in the future to see if this is a breed tendency or just this line of pups. Mabel is doing well, but she often hangs out near a set of corrals and a barn where the producer has some horses. We aren’t sure why she is doing this yet. No other animals are at the location, and no one but the producer comes by to feed the horses. The producer is concerned that she is not staying with her charges. We placed several GPS trackers on his goats to monitor Mabel and the goat’s locations. I believe she is following them based on her past tracker data, but we will see for sure next month.
Viper waiting to go back to his charges after getting new batteries in his GPS tracker. AgriLife picture courtesy of Costanzo 2024.
Viper is doing great in Ft. Davis and has helped a fellow LGD learn to stay with the livestock and not hang out at the ranch headquarters. Smith and Wesson have helped their producer in Sonora raise his largest number of kids since the ranch started. Maverick and Goose have moved to the Texas A&M Sheep Unit and are adjusting well to their new homes. The invisible fence training for the Top Gun pups appears to have worked extremely well, with none of the dogs leaving their pastures since they left the Center.
Round Six Dogs
The pups will leave their bonding pens early this month and join the other pups and livestock in their training pastures. All pups will enter invisible fence systems this round when released from the bonding pens. We will test the Invisible Fence Brand and the Spot On Fence GPS-based containment systems. All livestock and puppies will have GPS trackers placed on them to help determine if any pup prefers a specific livestock species and to monitor the pups for bad behaviors such as chasing. We have activated the speed alerts on the tracker to help monitor the puppies for chasing behavior when we are not in the pastures.
In closing
If you enjoyed this monthly LGD blog, please don’t forget to subscribe to it with this link: The Guardian Way | Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo.
If you have feedback on this article or would like to suggest topics for future articles, please contact me at bill.costanzo@ag.tamu.edu or 325-657-7311.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Livestock Guardian Dog Program is a cooperative effort by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas Sheep and Goat Predator Management Board. Follow us on our social media sites and share them with your friends and family!
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