A 2-year-old Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog bravely defended his flock of sheep after nearly a dozen coyotes attacked.
Casper came to the rescue of the sheep in early November when the wild animals appeared at night. Casper and fellow guard dog Daisy were guarding the sheep when John Weirville heard the coyotes around their home in Decatur, Dekalb County in Georgia. Weirville, is the owner of Ewe Can Do It Naturally. He leases out flocks of sheep to clear away brush from properties sustainably.
It was the middle of the night when Weirville saw his sheep pinned against a fence with Daisy watching them. Casper was watching the pack of coyotes and the coyotes had fixed their attention on him. As the pack of coyotes drew closer Casper sprung into action.
“I could see the coyotes running around in this area,” Weirville told 11Alive, gesturing to one part of his yard. “When I got over this way, then Casper took off.”
Casper fought the coyotes for a good half hour and killed eight but he vanished while chasing the rest of them off. Amazingly, not one sheep was hurt. But the same could not be said for Casper.
Weirville, his family and neighbors went out looking for the dog and found parts of his tail and a bloody trail but no Casper. They feared the worst. But two days later, Casper miraculously returned home and Weirville found him hunkered down in the chicken hutch.
“He looked like death, I mean he looked terrible,” Weirville 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’.”
The dog was taken to Lifeline Animal Project where he’s been under their care for the past month. He was so badly hurt the vets weren’t sure he’d make it, but he’s managed to survive multiple surgeries and his wounds are now closed and healing.
The vet hospital is donating their care and it will take a few more months for Casper to fully heal. But Weirville is overjoyed with Casper’s progress. Weirville got to visit with Casper recently.
“I can’t explain how good it is to see him,” he said, giving Casper a big hug. When he first saw Casper’s injuries he hadn’t thought Casper would survive but now he thinks Casper will be back with him soon.
Weirville relates more of Casper’s heroic actions in the video below:
The news station reached out to coyote experts who informed them that so many coyotes running together is very rare.
LifeLine Animal Project also described their heroic efforts to save Casper’s life in the video below:
They are a nonprofit. If you would like to donate to them so they can care for other dogs like Casper you can visit their website.
Casper’s job is to protect farm animals in his care from predators. But for many dog owners, coyotes can also be a threat. Here’s an article on how to protect your dog from coyotes.
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