10/10/2024
Story time! I am incredibly proud of my Moose today and I love him so very much.
As some of you may remember, my livestock were preyed upon several times a couple years ago by neighboring dogs. I spend so much of my time tending to and taking care of my animals and giving them everything they want, need and more. That’s nothing new. But after they were attacked on a couple different occasions, (some hospitalized, some killed) I realized we were unsafe out here for the first time ever and suddenly felt like what I do here every day is still not enough. I knew I needed to step up my game and start thinking more about protection.
I did plenty of research on the Pyrenees breed because I’ve not raised one before. You truly never know what you’re going to end up with when you get a dog but I also know that I’ve never in my life raised a “bad” dog. Some research would say that if you want a Pyrenees for protection, that you shouldn’t make a pet out of it. I guess I just had enough confidence in knowing that I should be able to love on my dog and in turn he would be loyal to me, my livestock and my land.
Even though I had done the research, Moose was kind of an impulse buy. I laid my eyes on him and just had to have him. I even tried to walk away but I had to go back and grab this floofy boy and make him mine. He belonged to me immediately, I just had a knowing. So I brought him home with me that day with a solid plan that I’d spoil him with confidence that my investment would grow into exactly what I’d need on the farm.
Fast forward to now; he is truly my best (and biggest!) companion. He chooses to be by my side. He protects my property and patiently waits for me at the end of the driveway when I am gone. And okay, he might roam around a lot and visit my neighbors too 🤪 (it’s what Pyrenees do) but he’s never caused any issues and my neighbors love him. In fact, I like to think that he can do my whole neighborhood a favor just by being around…
This morning as I was doing farm chores, I heard unfamiliar barking coming from up by my house. Not only did this alarm me, but it alarmed Moose. He took off immediately toward the house with that deep bark, foaming at the mouth and all. It’s like he flips a switch. I followed him so I could watch but I knew he had it handled. There was no physical confrontation; the two dogs I saw caught a glimpse of Moose and ran away as soon as they saw him coming. I had a feeling they’ve met before. He didn’t stop there, he kept following them barking at them until they were off my property. A couple minutes later he comes strolling back to me, wagging his tail and literally smiling at me.
Boy did I luck out with this guy. He did exactly what I wanted and needed him to do and I didn’t even have to command him. He is the absolute best of both worlds; naturally with ease he will loyally protect me AND he will love me and make me smile. Moose got extra treats for being a very special boy. He could have very well just saved some of my animals’ lives today 🫶🥹
