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Underdog: Stacked up against 11 coyotes, herd dog kills 8 to save sheep in neighborhood
Little did these coyotes know they were up against Casper.


Author: Reeves Jackson
Published: 8:18 PM CST December 1, 2022
Updated: 4:38 AM CST December 2, 2022
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DECATUR, Ga. — When stacked up against a pack of 11 coyotes looking for blood, the expectation of a dog overcoming the odds to defeat them all seems insurmountable. Little did these coyotes know they were up against Casper.

Despite being only a 20-month-old Great Pyrenees, the livestock herding dog at a home in Decatur displayed his heroic actions by protecting a herd of sheep last month.

It all started in the cul de sac around 9 p.m. on Nov. 3 when a few coyotes came near the house. John Wierwille, the homeowner and Casper's owner, said that he was able to turn them away by throwing a few rocks in their direction and yelling at them to go away.

RELATED: 'He's lucky to be alive' | Vets describe care for dog that killed 8 coyotes protecting sheep

However, the coyotes were not done. Around 2:30 a.m., Wierwille said he was awakened by the dogs barking and went outside to see his two dogs, Casper and Daisy, backing the sheep up in the corner in order to keep them safe.

As he approached closer, Wierwille noticed a few coyotes already inside the pen, with multiple others just beyond it. He explained that there was around five or six total at the time.

"I wasn't really afraid they were going to attack me or anything," he said. "But they weren't responding [to me], they were focused on Casper I think more than anything."

Wierwille describes the moment Casper sprang into action, as he charged into the middle of the pack in a scrum between the animals that lasted roughly 30 minutes. After killing a few coyotes in the initial action, Wierwille said that Casper continued to fight.

After the coyotes jumped out of the fence, they split up and ran different ways. The undeterred Casper chased them down outside of the fence line, where another fight led to him killing a few more down an embankment to the creek that borders their home, Wierwille said. He lost sight of Casper and couldn't find him anymore.

Casper killed eight coyotes, but it was his disappearance that concerned the owner more.

"So the next day, we thought we could find him, we thought he must have been killed and so we were looking for him," he said. "If he wasn't killed, we figured he was hurt, we knew he was hurt, because we found parts of his tail and blood and other things, so we were worried about him."

After the neighbors joined in the search for the dog, they discovered dead coyotes in the woods. Two days later, Casper showed back up to the house in the pen, where he popped his head up out of the chicken hutch.

"He looked like death, I mean he looked terrible," Wierwille said. "He came back home and he just kind of looked at me like 'boss stop looking at how bad I look, just take care of me.'"

It was then that Wierwille found LifeLine, a nonprofit with a mission of ending the shelter euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals based in Atlanta. Casper underwent multiple surgeries to close up wounds on his neck and back, and even one to amputate his tail.
Dog recovering after fighting off 11 coyotes, killing 8 protecting sheep



Wierwille praised LifeLine for saving his dog, citing that they took Casper right in with fantastic care and treated him like one of their own.

"There's not much question about him surviving now, it's a question about what his quality of life will be," he said.

Even though Casper may not ever be out protecting the sheep again, he'll always be known for the night he sprang into action to become the ultimate guard dog.
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That’s a scrapping mofo there
Kenneth
And why the hell did he confront them unarmed ?
I would have taken out as many as possible
Does he know Bill’s dog?
Story doesn’t smell right
Good dog.


20 months is almost middle aged for a guard dog.
Originally Posted by BillyGoatGruff
Story doesn’t smell right

What's got your spidey sense up about it?
Originally Posted by Jim_Conrad
Originally Posted by BillyGoatGruff
Story doesn’t smell right

What's got your spidey sense up about it?

What about second dog for one thing. Only a brief mention of poor Daisy.

Saw this on the inter webs yesterday. Caspar ain’t a full blood Pyrenees either.

Just sounds like a suburbanite blowing what might have started as a real story into a little more.

Or full blown roundoak.

‘Course I could be wrong
That's one hell of a dog.
Originally Posted by BillyGoatGruff
Story doesn’t smell right



It doesn't.


Son of a Bïtch should be gutted for just leaving the dog like that.



In the cul de sac?


Schidtty Slicker done bought 7 acres and is ranching.
Big pack of predictors after his stock and he thows rocks?😂😂😂
Hears a commotion later and goes out in his bunny slippers?
No gun?
Dog kills multiple, disappears. He waits untill after brunch to check?
The he hunts down a non-profit vet? WT?
He has livestock and dogs but he has no vet?

Something smells.
Fishy, Půssy, or Assholę, im not sure.
Maybe all 3.
Originally Posted by Kenneth66
That’s a scrapping mofo there
Kenneth
And why the hell did he confront them unarmed ?
I would have taken out as many as possible

A short barreled 12 gauge would have ended the fight a lot sooner.
A force to be reckoned with!!

A local farmer here has a couple of them guarding his little flock he has, if you stop on the road and check them out they just lay there if you get out of your car to watch them they will get up and heard the sheep into another pasture farther away. The sheep listen to those dogs without question.
Originally Posted by Dillonbuck
Originally Posted by BillyGoatGruff
Story doesn’t smell right



It doesn't.


Son of a Bïtch should be gutted for just leaving the dog like that.



In the cul de sac?


Schidtty Slicker done bought 7 acres and is ranching.
Big pack of predictors after his stock and he thows rocks?😂😂😂
Hears a commotion later and goes out in his bunny slippers?
No gun?
Dog kills multiple, disappears. He waits untill after brunch to check?
The he hunts down a non-profit vet? WT?
He has livestock and dogs but he has no vet?

Something smells.
Fishy, Půssy, or Assholę, im not sure.
Maybe all 3.

To be fair, if Casper did chase down some runners, going out and looking could just be a wasted effort. If he’s gone, if he lives he’ll come home. If not he won’t. The the calculus with having them dogs.

But it still just doesn’t seem quite all gospel truth
We have goats on our lease. There is one that guards them. Cool dog, playful as hell. He is a lot bigger than in the pic, probably 100 lbs.
Do they have to be trained or is it a natural thing.



[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]
Did someone ask why he left his dog to fight a dozen coyotes without firing a single shot? Sounds like he doesn't deserve the dog.
Originally Posted by 160user
Originally Posted by Kenneth66
That’s a scrapping mofo there
Kenneth
And why the hell did he confront them unarmed ?
I would have taken out as many as possible

A short barreled 12 gauge would have ended the fight a lot sooner.
Bingo.
Cul-de-sac?????
Probably a no shooting zone.

A soon as I saw the thread title, I figured it was a Great Pyrenees. Our neighbors had a couple. They would be spotted a couple miles from home at 3:30-4:30 AM out hunting coyotes.

It about scared the crap out of me one night when I made a tight 90 degree corner at the bottom of my driveway and this big ghostly white dog was eye level to me looking in through the window of my car.

I mentioned to their owner how far they were ranging. His comment was, they're just doing their job.

In the case of the OP, I would not be surprised if some SOB ignorant Karen does not try to have the owner of the dog and sheep brought up on animal cruelty charges.

The horror of encouraging that dog to kill all those coyotes.
Was traveling into Farson Wyoming and saw a flock of about 500 sheep being pushed across the Hwy. Stopped ,turned on my flashers and watched the Great Pyrenees, move the sheep. There were 4 of them . They were 2 in front scouting ,2 on the flanks and 2 in back. The herder was leading his horse off to the side just watching the dogs do the work. Would take a big bunch of yotes to take on the dogs. The Great Pyrenees, fight together .
Decatur Georgia. Suburban Atlanta and right on the edge of the big city, it is 20 miles from any open countryside. I grew up 10 miles from there. Illegal to shoot a gun there.

My daughter in law lives 5 miles from there, in a different Atlanta suburb, and the place is crawling with coyotes, because you can't shoot 'em. Any indoor/outdoor cat won't last 6 months. Coyote food.
Originally Posted by 12344mag
A force to be reckoned with!!

A local farmer here has a couple of them guarding his little flock he has, if you stop on the road and check them out they just lay there if you get out of your car to watch them they will get up and heard the sheep into another pasture farther away. The sheep listen to those dogs without question.

Around here are lots of BLM cheat grass and sage brush hills. Sheep men have grazing allotments in spring and summer. We drive through such an area to get to Paddock Reservoir, a small empoundment once written up in Field and Stream as a nationally recognized crappie fishery.

Last spring on the way to the lake, the grand kids pointed out the big white dog resting under a sagebrush while sheep grazed in about a 1/4 mile radius of him. Eight hours later, when we came home, he was still resting under the same sagebrush. I don't know if he had moved all day long.

His herd was grazing peacefully, he probably had no need to.
Hanco, from what I see it is a natural thing. Our GP's mother was known to jump right in the middle of a pack and tear them up. Arwen, her daughter is a GP and Catahoula mix. I live in the country and she is always on watch for whatever comes by. She is right at 100lbs and would be a terror to any coyotes.
Guy up the road has two of those dogs, they kill any Coyotes that come around, they don't look like it but they get pizzed off fast.
Originally Posted by hanco
We have goats on our lease. There is one that guards them. Cool dog, playful as hell. He is a lot bigger than in the pic, probably 100 lbs.
Do they have to be trained or is it a natural thing.



[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]


The drive to protect is a natural thing.

You have to train them to protect what you want.

They have to be "bonded" to their flock....whether it is humans or gerbils or sheep.
When I had a pack of hounds, my kill dogs weighed from 45-60 lbs 24”-27” tall. One on one they could take on a coyote but would sustain injury. If another dog was present to distract they would seldom require a vet visit. Multiple coyotes on a single dog, dead dog.

Any dog that takes on a pack of 12, killing 8….I hope it’s true, but I no longer believe in roundoak either
I have never owned sheep or sheep dogs. Only cows and cow dogs.

I have read though that the Pyrenees are placed with the flock of sheep as soon as they can be pulled from Momma's teat. They grow up totally bonded to their flock.
Originally Posted by clockwork_7mm
Did someone ask why he left his dog to fight a dozen coyotes without firing a single shot? Sounds like he doesn't deserve the dog.

That's the first thing my 8 year old daughter said was why didn't he help the dog, where was his gun.

We had 3 coyotes try to lure our 10 year old poohretriever, "golden doodle", who was dying of cancer a few years back. My daughter was about 5 at the time and vividly remembers me grabbing my faux Ti 223 AI and going to work on them.

One looked over his shoulder about 300 yards out and gave me just enough time to put a 75g amax through his lungs. The other 2 were already out to 500 and made it to a ditch. A few weeks later our neighbors lab got chewed up pretty well but lived. He had a bunch of stitched and the vet said it was coyotes.

I smoked one in October while headed up on my boys deer hunt. I had to test out his little mini howa grendel. My dog loving daughter was upset when she first heard then I said remember when those 3 tried to kill Shammy. She said oh yah, I'm glad you shot it.

Bb
The sheep farmer up the road from our camp has several of these dogs that stay out with the sheep 24/7/365. He stops by to feed them but that's pretty much it. The dogs seem like lard azz's to me. Always laying down in the flock. sometimes you really need to look for them in there. I'd really like to see them go after a yote some time.
Might have got lucky and killed a bunch of this years pups and the old coyotes tried to lure him into the brush, who knows. But that owner is a DUMB ASS that don't deserve a dog of that caliber, hearing that kind of ruckus and not going out strapped, what a douche nozzle.
Originally Posted by WildWest
and watched the Great Pyrenees, move the sheep. There were 4 of them . They were 2 in front scouting ,2 on the flanks and 2 in back.

I don't know where it was, that taught you how to do addition. The school that taught me said that 2+2+2=6........

Calling mathman! I found you a new student....
A ranch family I knew well up in NM worked hard together to make their little operation successful, and the lovely wife raised goats as well - mostly so that 4H kids would have some good ones available, but also for general sale. Every animal was precious in that little operation.

Not only did we have hordes of coyotes that got after any small farm/ranch animal, but we also had the implanted wolves, and they were even tougher on sheep/goats - and even beef cattle.

This family had two GPs to be with the goats - and those dogs were like parents to the flock as they grazed. More than that, they were viciously protective - they chased and killed coyotes regularly - sometimes in bunches - and did the same with at least one wolf which must have gotten away from its pack.

Otherwise, docile and friendly. Great dogs.
Speaking of not shooting coyotes in suburban Atlanta...

Several years ago I was down visiting in suburban Atlanta, sunny Saturday morning about 11 am. Driving past a nice expensive house near Brookhaven Golf Course, DeKalb County, same place as the OP. I saw a big raccoon, sitting on his ass in the yard. I knew he was real sick because raccoons are nocturnal. Standing there was a 50 year old guy, and his 17 year old son. Son had a heavy metal rake in his hands.

I wanted to get out and shoot the rabid raccoon with my .38

I got out and talked to the guys, they had already called 911. They told me that they knew the animal had rabies. Out here in the country in NC, we simply shoot rabid animals. But there in Atlanta it is way illegal to shoot a gun. I got in my truck and drove off, better for the kid to have to take rabies shots, than for me to get busted on a felony gun charge, some snoopy neighbor gets a photo of a license plate and calls the cops on me.

I am from Atlanta, and today I live in a good place, 220 miles AWAY FROM Atlanta.
Originally Posted by huntsman22
Originally Posted by WildWest
and watched the Great Pyrenees, move the sheep. There were 4 of them . They were 2 in front scouting ,2 on the flanks and 2 in back.

I don't know where it was, that taught you how to do addition. The school that taught me said that 2+2+2=6........

Calling mathman! I found you a new student....

Yeah, I kinda stoped believing a lot of things posted up here anymore.
Originally Posted by huntsman22
Originally Posted by WildWest
and watched the Great Pyrenees, move the sheep. There were 4 of them . They were 2 in front scouting ,2 on the flanks and 2 in back.

I don't know where it was, that taught you how to do addition. The school that taught me said that 2+2+2=6........

Calling mathman! I found you a new student....

Anyone takes the name grammarman - they will have a full-time job.
https://www.wlbt.com/2022/12/02/stacked-up-against-pack-coyotes-herd-dog-kills-8-save-sheep/

The guy in the OP calls himself an "urban farmer." It is incongruous, but he lives in a suburb in Atlanta and has his back yard fenced in and raises sheep there.
A Great Pyrenees can be hell on a coon dog that crosses the fence.
I had a couple Great Pyrenees before and they no joke when it comes to protecting their charges.

Now I have a Bernese Mountain Dog and she is one hellofa guard dog as well. She roams my property and also the neighbors chasing foxes & coyotes mostly at night. She has shown up for breakfast with battle damage a few times. The stealing crack heads have not been an issue for the past 4 years that I've had her. Only thing is I have to be sure to lock her up during dear season so the local rednecks don't shoot her,
If the dog owner is telling the truth, he's one big fairy. Shoulda grabbed a shotgun and got into the action.
The coyotes look to have gotten their licks in, but not enough of them to save themselves.
Originally Posted by Crappie_Killer
When I had a pack of hounds, my kill dogs weighed from 45-60 lbs 24”-27” tall. One on one they could take on a coyote but would sustain injury. If another dog was present to distract they would seldom require a vet visit. Multiple coyotes on a single dog, dead dog.

Any dog that takes on a pack of 12, killing 8….I hope it’s true, but I no longer believe in roundoak either


I was thinking along the same lines. I’ve seen my share of canine battles and some plenty mean dogs that have taken the worse of it. Coyotes rarely go toe to toe unless they have the odds.
If the dog in this story did even half of what’s claimed by himself I’m more than impressed.

Osky
A Wyoming Arms Creedmoor in the hands of a Wizard... would have made this a non story...

NOT
Originally Posted by huntsman22
Originally Posted by WildWest
and watched the Great Pyrenees, move the sheep. There were 4 of them . They were 2 in front scouting ,2 on the flanks and 2 in back.

I don't know where it was, that taught you how to do addition. The school that taught me said that 2+2+2=6........

Calling mathman! I found you a new student....

LOL. I saw that too. 🤪
Originally Posted by slg888
If the dog owner is telling the truth, he's one big fairy. Shoulda grabbed a shotgun and got into the action.

Yep. I guess I would have had to go to jail if my dog was being attacked by 12 Yotes. Always a loaded 12 ga setting by my back door.
Dude probably wears skinny jeans and pronounces it “kiyotees”.
I don’t know much about sheep guard dogs in Georgia, but out here Guard dog puppies are raised with the sheep. Sometimes in the same pen as the bum lambs. They are naturally protective, but like said need to be bonded.

Guard dogs don’t herd sheep, they just go with the sheep and protect them. Sheep herders will usually have herding dogs, border collie types, the guard dogs will tolerate them, but don’t go out there with a strange dog.

Guard dogs frequently get spiked collars. A heavy leather collar with nails or screws pointed out for protection.

Just like any kind of dog they aren’t all good at what they do. Treating a guard dog like a pet is about the surest way to make him bad at his job.

I think once healed up Casper should go back to his sheep.
Sure do see a lot of Pyrenees and Pyrenees mixes in the lost and found announcements here in my area. Sounds like as a breed they seem to be prone to go wandering off often.
Originally Posted by joken2
Sure do see a lot of Pyrenees and Pyrenees mixes in the lost and found announcements here in my area. Sounds like as a breed they seem to be prone to go wandering off often.

Same as a lot of breeds. Idiots don’t research what they are buying.
Never seen a sheep dog protect his/her flock, but I've seen greyhounds chase down and kill coyotes many times. They make short work of coyotes.
I haven’t seen pictures of the dead coyotes. I know greyhounds are fast & can catch a coyote, the star of this story doesn’t look as fast. I’d kinda think the coyotes would run after the first one or two met their fate?

I’ve let my dog chase a coyote over the years, the average Lab or German Shepard isn’t going to catch one running away. Coyotes are used to running for their lives, at least rural coyotes.
the dog seems to be more of a tool to him than a pet for sure
I didn't think coyotes ran in packs.

Around here they are loners or in pairs unless with young. Also, they don't stand their ground. Too smart for that.

The story doesn't smell right as was mentioned.
Decatur GA? That’s Atlanta!

There’s no sheep there (except voter’s).
A buddy of mine runs sheep and has had either a Pyrenees or a Marayma (spelling ?) to protect the sheep. Some of them have been coyote killers.

One, a big Pyrenees bitch was hell on coyotes, yet a friendly dog and wonderful with children. If you caught a fish she'd swallow it whole if she got a chance. I’d bring back the liver of every deer I shot for my buddy of that dog had a second’s opportunity then liver was gone in two or three bites. She was a damn good dog.

I’ve seen coyotes pack hunting many times.

Can’t comment on the veracity of the story.
My sister has a bunch of sheep, a hobby/ business on the side. Heritage breeds wool/mutton. They sure are noisy critters, that guy in the story must have understanding neighbors.

Aside from that we know Casper the dog got torn up by something. I didn’t know coyotes run in actual packs of 8+ animals. Eight dead coyotes in one night by a single dog has gotta be a world record contender.

.I can’t fault the guy for looking for a non-profit vet, stitching up that dog by a regular vet could run into the thousands, easy.
ATLANTA (WANF/Gray News) – A Georgia dog is recovering after a violent encounter with a pack of coyotes last month.


“I can’t even explain how good it is to see him right now, because I felt like there was no way he was going to live when I saw him (after the attack),” Weirville said.

Weirville is the owner of Ewe Can Do It Naturally, a landscaping business that leases out flocks of sheep to clear away brush from properties, utilizing the natural instincts of sheep to munch on that debris. Weirville is also part of the Urban Shepherds, a nonprofit organization that promotes the grazing of sheep as a sustainable solution for managing landscaping.

With his line of work, it’s not hard to see how valuable a dog like Casper is to Weirville.

According to the Atlanta Coyote Project, it’s relatively common to spot coyotes wandering around the metro-Atlanta area, but it’s rare to see so many running together.

“This is extremely unusual behavior for coyotes, and we suspect that there might be extenuating circumstances,” said Chris Mowry, a professor of biology at Berry College.

Mowry, who works with the Atlanta Coyote Project to study the behavior of coyotes in the metro, said coyotes live in small family groups.

“In this particular situation, the only thing that makes sense is if there was a large litter this year and the pups hadn’t yet dispersed,” Mowry said. “This could potentially make sense if there are lots of resources available, which sounds like it might be the case in this area of Decatur.”
Originally Posted by TreeMutt
I didn't think coyotes ran in packs.

Around here they are loners or in pairs unless with young. Also, they don't stand their ground. Too smart for that.

The story doesn't smell right as was mentioned.


LOL
Originally Posted by Birdwatcher
My sister has a bunch of sheep, a hobby/ business on the side. Heritage breeds wool/mutton. They sure are noisy critters, that guy in the story must have understanding neighbors.

Aside from that we know Casper the dog got torn up by something. I didn’t know coyotes run in actual packs of 8+ animals. Eight dead coyotes in one night by a single dog has gotta be a world record contender.

.I can’t fault the guy for looking for a non-profit vet, stitching up that dog by a regular vet could run into the thousands, easy.
Cost me two grand to have two small tumors removed from my 12 year old dog this past summer. Sure wish I knew a nonprofit vet.
The Pyrenees must be one badass breed.

A G&F Officer told my a story about not letting your dog chase coyotes

A lady routinely walked her Rottweiler here and would let her dog chase a coyote when he ran into one. The officer told her not to let her dog chase the coyotes, that it would end badly for the dog.

She was on a walk and let her dog do it anyway.

The coyote lured the dog back to the pack which promptly killed the dog while the owner watched.

Pets are not killers usually and are not like coyotes or other wild animals who are expert at killing for their meals
Originally Posted by rcamuglia
The Pyrenees must be one badass breed.

A G&F Officer told my a story about not letting your dog chase coyotes

A lady routinely walked her Rottweiler here and would let her dog chase a coyote when he ran into one. The officer told her not to let her dog chase the coyotes, that it would end badly for the dog.

She was on a walk and let her dog do it anyway.

The coyote lured the dog back to the pack which promptly killed the dog while the owner watched.

Pets are not killers usually and are not like coyotes or other wild animals who are expert at killing for their meals
A good dog is a match for an equal sized coyote. It's when coyotes gang up on a large dog that's the issue.
Originally Posted by AKwolverine
Originally Posted by huntsman22
Originally Posted by WildWest
and watched the Great Pyrenees, move the sheep. There were 4 of them . They were 2 in front scouting ,2 on the flanks and 2 in back.

I don't know where it was, that taught you how to do addition. The school that taught me said that 2+2+2=6........

Calling mathman! I found you a new student....

Anyone takes the name grammarman - they will have a full-time job.

Wouldn't be near as busy as spellingman.
Originally Posted by slg888
If the dog owner is telling the truth, he's one big fairy. Shoulda grabbed a shotgun and got into the action.


That’s what I was thinking. He’s kinda got that Amish or Hoot beard going on.
Just think what another Pyrenees that was dedicated to the fight would have done. Even a good Catahoula, GSD, or Pit Bull would have kept the big boy from getting chewed up. I’m glad he prevailed and killed a bunch of yotes.
Surprisingly, the Great Pyrenees has a very strong bite force. These dogs have an average bite force of around 500 pounds per square inch (PSI)! That's actually a stronger bite than Rottweilers and Pitbulls! This varies between individuals, but still makes these dogs some of the strongest biters around.Jun 1, 2022

Bite force for a pit bull is approximately 235 psi
Wonderful story.. Thank you for posting that. smile
Originally Posted by TreeMutt
I didn't think coyotes ran in packs.

Around here they are loners or in pairs unless with young. Also, they don't stand their ground. Too smart for that.

The story doesn't smell right as was mentioned.


Coyotes do run in packs and they will stand and fight when they have numbers on their side. They'll also stand and fight when they're guarding dens with pups, the males will stand by themselves in the spring and early summer if you get near their den. We had a golden retriever who thought he was a hunting dog, liked to chase everything if you let him, up to and including elk. I used to take him a few places and let him run off leash including the state park with a few thousand acres and a wild pheasant population. He killed two pheasants out there by himself, a pile of fox squirrels, a few rabbits and pds too so he loved the place but it also had a lot of coyotes.

We'd go out there a few times a week all winter and have the run of the place but around mid May we'd be going throught the same spots and if we got close to a den the male would come out, skyline himself if he was on a rise (which is where they put their dens out there, mostly creek bottoms) turn sideways to make himself look bigger, bare his teeth with the hair on his back standing up. From that time on we'd stay out of those places until later in the year but it was a good way to find dens. I'd come back laiter and watch with binos, it was interesting to see when the pups would come out to play and sometimes there'd be more than just the pair watching over them, there would be three adults.

We did a 3 or 4 mile loop and on an average day we'd come across at least one coyote because the dog would sniff 'em out. Single or in pairs they'd usually run but if there were three or more they'd stand and fight. Wasn't really a problem because I could get him on the leash beofore that happened. I also started carrying a wrist rocket, that would run them off pretty well.

And if they have numbers they will set an ambush. Whenever I'd see one come out and make itself visible on purpose I'd snap on the leash because I knew something was up, it happened three or four times. Get out the binos and scan around and pick out one or two laying in the grass waiting, with more that I didn't see I'm sure. One night we were out in the little open space in the neighborhood, full moon with snow on the ground so visibility was good. We were walking down the paved trail when a big male came out and stood in front of us, right on the trail. We stopped, I snapped on the leash, and he sunk down on his elbows with his butt in the air, trying to act like he just wanted to play. I looked out in the open space and there were at least four more out at about 100 yards, spaced out evenly in a line, waiting.

And if they don't want to be seen you won't see them. More than once we had just come through a patch of waist-high grass and sage and not jumped any, and a fire truck from the local station would go by with the siren on. And two or three would open up from the patch we just came through.
Biggest coyote pack I've seen was 9, they were following and harassing/ nipping at a limping coyote about 600 yards from the hilltop I was on.
Originally Posted by bkraft
Might have got lucky and killed a bunch of this years pups and the old coyotes tried to lure him into the brush, who knows. But that owner is a DUMB ASS that don't deserve a dog of that caliber, hearing that kind of ruckus and not going out strapped, what a douche nozzle.

"It agin the LAW", you know.

Well screw that! Shoot first, fug around later.

And that math above was beer drinking math. smile
Sounds like more fox BS, story say's 5 or 6 in the pen with a few killed, and the owner just standing around for a half hour. Owner should have been able to call off Casper once the threat had left instead of allowing to continue on the chase. Other dead coyotes were found at a later time without a Casper. But nowhere does it say that the dog faced off against 11 Coyotes all at once. What the hell the owner was thinking is the real story, when one shot probably would have taken care of the whole problem.

Phil
Yes, stock dogs, guard dogs, hounds, etc are tools. They have been tools for the last 100,000 years.

Fur babies, and thinking of dogs, or cats for that matter, as a surrogate child is a pretty new concept. (maybe with the exception of cats in ancient Egypt)

My younger brother, when he was a freshman in high school, acquired a female redbone pup. When the dog was about nine months old, he went out to her shelter to feed her before school, but she failed to bound out and greet him.

He reached into her house to pull her out, and found her in a pool of blood. A quick look found her inner thigh slit open from the knee to the pelvis. Instead of school they went to the vet that day, and the little bitch got stitched up and recovered.

We back tracked her blood trail in the snow, and found where she had tangled with a coyote out about 150 yds from the house. As far as the tracks indicated, it was a single coyote.

Unfortunately, brother's pretty little redbone died six months later, about a week before she was due to deliver her first litter of pups. A necropsy showed a dead and decomposed pup inside her.
Lots of good the owner did. He could have helped with a simple 10-22.
Originally Posted by DMc
Never seen a sheep dog protect his/her flock, but I've seen greyhounds chase down and kill coyotes many times. They make short work of coyotes.

My uncle said he had a Greyhound as a kid. Said it was a coyote and coon killing SOB. Always talked and bragged about that dog.

A friend’s Ranch I hunt in Coleman County has a neighboring Ranch that has sheep and goats that has two big ole Great Pyrenees that live with the heard. Beautiful dogs. They’ll sometimes come over and check me out when I’m opening the gate at his Ranch.

Another friend of mine had a half Lab / half Great Pyrenees male that was huge. Said it was the best family guard dog he ever had. Said it wouldn’t let anyone in his yard when his kiddos were small and playing outside.
Originally Posted by smokepole
We had a golden retriever who thought he was a hunting dog, liked to chase everything if you let him, up to and including elk. I used to take him a few places and let him run off leash including the state park with a few thousand acres

Sounds like something I would do.

This odd-looking little 15lb mutt was a skinny stray when she showed up. Used to be off leash she would sprint after anything that moved, including deer and feral hogs, 100 yards at a time. One time she took off not far behind two coyotes, they were all out of sight for like three minutes, thought for sure she was a goner 🙂

She’s gotten a lot better since, sticks close by once she figured out that’s what her job is, reliable recall.

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