Although it is an alpaca's nature is to flee when confronted with a threat, machos will defend their herds, and hembras will defend their crias, but their weapons are limited. This limitation is compounded when the herd is confined to a pasture as they are in most domestic herds.
Here in Southwestern Washington, there are three particularly dangerous four-legged predators; cougars, coyotes, and dog packs. While some farms are fortunate and need not worry about cougars or coyotes, the presence of free roaming packs of wild or domestic dogs is cause for concern. A fun-loving romp by several neighborhood pets can turn into a potentially deadly encounter for your livestock. We witnessed such a romp one morning and rescued a neighbor's goat from a dog pack not fifty feet from our pasture gate. This sad event made us grateful that we had done our homework.
For just as we had protected ourselves against financial loss with mortality and liability insurance policies and against disease with good veterinary care, we had guarded our herd's physical safety with our investment in an Anatolian Shepherd Dog (ASD): our first male, Sabir's Michael, and later our female, Uriel. Our experience with them has convinced us that the Anatolian is truly the world's finest livestock insurance!
With Michael's passing, we felt we couldn't be without two guardians, and added Raphael, out third guardian angel.
About The Breed
The ASD is a giant breed: a flock guardian, with clearly discernible roots in Mesopotamia dating back over 6,000 years. They are large, upstanding, powerful animals with a broad head, deep chest, long legs and pronounced tuck-up at the loin. Fleet and agile, "They have been clocked at running speeds of over 35 miles per hour. They are able to leap into the air, turn and come down in front of or on the shoulders of the animal in front of them… (Quoted from an Anatolian Shepherd Dogs International (ASDI) publication). Consistent with the tasks for which they were bred, Anatolians are calm, and self-possessed despite being fiercely protective. Although good with children, they are not pets or lap dogs, but highly intelligent, utilitarian working dogs.
And because of these traits as well as their size, and capacity for independent judgment (read stubborn), Anatolians are not for everyone. They are happiest with a job to do and are not suited to idleness. Before deciding if you want to share your life with an Anatolian, we recommend the "3 Rs," reading, research, and reality checks. Visit breeders. And expect that an ethical breeder will screen you almost as carefully as any adoption agency would. Please don't be offended. It is for your protection and that of the dog. We have seen the rescue lists grow at an alarming rate in just the short time that we have been living with our dogs.
We recommend the following publications. The proceeds go to The Cheetah Conservation Fund.
About Our Dogs and Us
We believe that these dogs are the finest livestock insurance available. We have been privileged to "own" 5 Anatolians.
Sadly, we unexpectedly lost our beloved Michael in 2007.
Uriel left us in November 2018 to join Michael at the Rainbow Bridge. She was 12, lived a long and sweet life. We miss her very much.
Raphael is a compassionate, happy, soul with a ton of energy. He's lives with the males and has turned into an alert and discerning guardian.