A Georgia dog who attacked a pack of coyotes to protect sheep on his farm — and his pregnant partner — could earn an award for his bravery!
A two-year-old Great Pyrenees named Casper is in the running for the audience’s choice winner of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Farm Dog of the Year competition.
The honor “celebrates farm dogs and the many ways they support farmers and ranchers in producing nutritious food for families and their pets across America,” according to the AFBF website.
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The 2024 People’s Choice Puppy will be awarded a “$1,000 cash prize from Purin.”
On its website, the AFBF encourages members of the public to vote for their favorite People’s Choice Pup finalist to help determine the winner. The award winner will be announced at the federation’s annual convention in January.
There is strong competition for the title this year. Casper clashes with Trip, a border collie from Ohio; Margo, a Rottweiler from Indiana; Cinco, a border collie from Utah; and Morgan, a Bernese mountain dog.
Casper is in the running for Farm Dog of the Year by the American Farm Bureau Federation. FOX 5 Atlanta/Youtube ‘Spunky’ Husky stuck in a drainpipe has been rescued and reunited with his family
The 2024 AFBF Farm Dog will also be announced at the January convention.
The 2023 farm dog was a Kansas border collie named Tough, owned by owners Denny and Donna Ashcraft.
The current title holder, who was 14 when she received the honor in January, suffered a severe spinal injury when she was 7 that left her temporarily paralyzed from the neck down. “Tough persevered, worked on rehab and is now about 90% back to normal,” Denny told AFBF of the award-winning pooch. “She is the inspiration to keep going.”
Casper, a potential People’s Choice Pup winner, made headlines in November 2022 for killing eight of 11 coyotes in a pack that threatened his pregnant partner and sheep on his farm in Georgia. The Great Pyrenees suffered tail and ear injuries.
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The owner of the farm dog, pastor-turned-sheep herder John Wierwille, described the incident The Washington Post as “chaos”.
According to Wierwille, Casper jumped the fence to attack, biting the coyotes’ heads and throwing their bodies over his shoulder. The owner added that he wasn’t sure if the coyote pack attacked first or if Casper thought they were threatening his pregnant partner Daisy.
During Casper’s standoff, five other Great Pyrenees sheepdogs chased the farm’s sheep away from the chaos, Wierwille told the newspaper.
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“We didn’t want things to go this way, but we’re glad he did,” Wierwille said. “He did his job and I think that’s what everyone appreciates about him.”
After the encounter with the coyotes, Casper disappeared for two days before reappearing with tears and cuts on his body, as well as a severe injury to his tail. His tail eventually had to be amputated. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, this surgery and Casper’s $15,000 medical expenses were covered by generous donations from animal lovers.
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Source: HIS Education