We live in rural Amador County located in Northern California. Coyotes, Bobcats, and Mountain Lions are our neighbors. I don't have a problem with that as long as they leave my critters alone. I do believe that Mountain Lions are getting too populated in California and a restricted hunting season should be opened for them but that's for someone else to do. Anyway, I had for several years thought about getting livestock guardian dogs but just never did get it done. Over the years we did lose animals to coyotes and raccoons but fence repair work and a few bullets properly placed took care of that. But the decision was made after several sightings of Mountain Lions in our area. I myself saw one crossing the highway in the middle of the day. I told the bicycle rider that I saw right after that about it and he commented that he would kill it. Well I don't know what he intended to do with his little helmet, bicycle shorts and bicycle but good for him. But that's another story. During this same time, a friend lost two of her three goats to a Mountain Lion. My decision was made and hubby was going to have to get over it (he initially had reservations).
Mowgi
Mowgi is not a purebred Anatolian. He has 1/4 Great Pyrenees but definitely has the coat and coloring of an Anatolian. Definitely a plus with the stickers we get in our area. Mowgi had the misfortune of tangling with our Dexter bull. It was more of a playful encounter but Mowgi's leg was badly broken. Before spending the $3000 to fix him, we had his hips x-rayed (in addition to the leg). They were excellent. So we spent the $3000 and got him fixed. He has a plate in his leg that doesn't cause him any discomfort or slow him down. |
Callie
Callie is a registered Anatolian Shepherd Dog with AKC. But that won't do us anygood at this point as Mowgi is "our" guy of choice. But honestly, I don't think the Coyotes or Mountain Lions are concerned about their registry. They just see the big ass (yes I said it) dogs in the goat pasture and they don't want to play. It is so "AWESOME" to see them on night patrol. And they work good for day duty patrol too. Callie comes from parents that both had their hips x-rayed and they were excellent. |
I had been told that they would kill dogs that got into the pasture. My Rat Terriers can get into the pasture and the first time they did was comical. They were barking fiercely at Mowgi and he wanted to play. But make no mistake about it, strange dogs must be introduced and supervised. We let the Anatolians out every afternoon to socialize with us and the other dogs. But when it is time to kennel up, they run to the gate to the pasture. I understand that this is not the normal way for a Livestock Guardian Dog. But it works for us. No one can say that my goats aren't protected.
They definitely are a team act with the goat protection. We have a neighbor that will stop by occasionally and he normally has his dog with him. The dog stays on the truck but you will see Mowgi running the fence pacing the truck and Callie is at the other end of the pasture with the goats. AWESOME. We have had no Coyotes, Bobcat, Raccoons or Mountain Lions. We did have a skunk which I only know because of the odor that Mowgi sported for a few days. I sleep better knowing that the herd is protected and if I'm needed Mowgi and Callie will let me know. AWESOME.
Sire: Mowgi
Dam: Callie
DOB: 07/24/2011 - 4 females, 7 males
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 Mom taking a much deserved break and socializing with an older crowd. |
Anything I write here is just going to be a rewording of what is found on the internet. Instead I am including helpful links to other sites. If you have goats/sheep or other animals that need protecting, I highly recommend the Anatolian. As for me, I don't know how we went as long as we did without them and I don't intend to ever be without them again. They are very protective of their herd but I also have no doubt that if I was in danger, these dogs would do whatever it took to protect us. You can ask my neighbor who came in unannounced when Mowgi was out. He wasn't hurt but Mowgi definitely let him know he was being watched and I'm doubtful of any surprise visits again.
Wikipedia
Anatolian Shepherd Club of America
Livestock Guardian Club Association
American Kennel Club - Anatolian Shepherd
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We got our first Anatolian in the fall of 2009. I got Mowgi from a goat
breeder in Modesto. I got the feeling it was a family that had hit upon
hard times and was downsizing. Mowgi was just a little over a year and
so skinny. Loading him into my truck was a chore as he had never been
on a leash or ridden in a truck. I was hesitant to give him too much
manhandling myself as he was a big dog even then (much bigger now) and
I could tell he was uncertain as to what was going on. I had taken a
package of venison with me which proved to be very helpful in enticing
him to crawl to my truck. He did the belly crawl. We got him loaded into
the back of my truck and I tied him to the front. This turned out to
be a very smart move as the camper shell of my truck came open but Mowgi
was safely tied in. Once I got him home I immediately put him in with
my goats. My goats are accustomed to dogs as we have several but they
have never lived with a dog. I was impressed with how they took to it
so quickly. Because I had never lived with a livestock guardian dog,
I was constantly watchful to see how he handled his new herd and the
new environment. I attempted to lock him into a smaller pen the first
night but found him with the goats the next morning. AWESOME became a
part of my vocabulary when describing my new dog. During the day Mowgi
would sleep. At night he was on duty. 
With
the total success of the first livestock guardian dog I was ready to
add a second one. That is not an easy chore. We looked online and
in the papers - nothing close to us was found. My dad found someone in
Missouri and since we usually go there for deer hunting in November,
I called them. Unfortunately, they had sold all their pups and only had
older
adults for sale. I was hesitant to try to bring anything other than a
puppy as it is two long days drive back to California. How was that going
to work for the potty stops and the one motel night stay. The owner said
she would have her kids start leash training the older dogs and we would
keep in touch. Yeah for me - one of the pup buyers decided to take an
older dog and Callie (5 months) became available. Even transporting Callie
home was an "adventure". We soon learned that leashes other
than chain were just a puppy toy to be chewed. And the big animal crate
I took to keep her in was easily destroyed and of no use. Fortunately
as long as she was with us she did not do any damage to anything. Once
home we introduced her to her bud Mowgi. Mowgi was ecstatic to have the
company. Callie quickly bonded with her new herd and her new partner. 
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