ANATOLIAN LIVESTOCK GUARDIAN DOGS

Mowgi

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.

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

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. We did find 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.

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 passed on in 2019. She will forever be missed on the RD Ranch but we thank her for her guidance in keeping the ranch safe.

Bootsie, Somer & Whiskey

Under the leadership of Mowgi & Bootsie we have two younger females that are filling the paws of Cricket and Callie. They are our version of ADT. Our 24-hour security team also warns us to human visitors. More than one person has been escorted to the gate when they decided to come unannounced. Appointments are very much recommended.

This photo was taken when we told them "back to work". We allow our Anatolians out everyday to socialize with us and the other dogs. This would not work if we actually took our goats to other locations. This is definitely not the recommended way of doing things but it works for us and has for many years. They all love time with us but have never fought us on going "back to work". No one can say that my goats aren't protected.