Made my choice...A Bulgarian Karakachan

Updating...

Been awhile since my last update. Nothing consequential has occurred. Valentina is now 4 yrs old and has been doing a good job on this little 6 acres. She and Cujo continue to get along well, backing each other up as needed. Cujo is still with high energy and playful; while Valentina is still laid back and serious minded.

I am prompted to post today because, as hot as it is here, Valentina continues to be on the job! I heard her barking/howling/growling and that let me know I needed to check to see what was going on out in that heat. Cujo was racing toward the noise. There Valentina was grabbing and shaking a young red fox that had been trying to get to some fowl. Cujo rushed in and grabbed it too. It kept trying to bite yet never made contact enough to do so with either dog. When Cujo let go, Valentina grabbed the back of that fox, shook it hard again, then dropped it. It was dead! Both dogs stood there watching it as I picked it up by the tail and moved it. (Pictures below...)

I'm still quite happy with my choice of this LGD; and her ability to take on all goats/fowl/myself is a testament to the breed.

Updating...

Well, this is quite different! Valentina has been spending more time around me. I still see her sleep beside the goats and have watched her walking the fence line sniffing. Yet she will come in the trailer 2-3 times a day to sit and stare at me. At times I've offerred her food thinking that is why she is here; but she refused it. Sometimes she will lay down between me and the door for a short while...until she senses something outside then out she goes. I have learned she definately sees me as one of her charges, which has become fine with me because, though she is a nuisance about it sometimes, still she doesn't prevent me from getting done what needs done here.

Yesterday something occurred I hadn't thought possible. She and Cujo love each other. They play well together, eat side by side, respect each other's food and back each other up when alerted to something. Valentina still shows a great deal of calmness and Cujo is still his high-energy playful self. Yet this time Valentina didn't like what Cujo was doing and attacked him. I had simply been walking (pampering my left ankle as somehow it had been strained and was hurting when I walked). Usually when I step outside, Cujo comes over to stay with me while I work and Valentina continues whatever she has been doing. However, yesterday it was different in that Valentina came over. And when Cujo (with his high playful energy) came over, Valentina attacked him. Yes she attacked Cujo! Yes she was angry! Cujo did not...not...attack back though he didn't cow either. He just took Valentina's behavior as something to "tolerate". However, Valentina did not stop! She did not bite him but her growl was not a playful one! I yelled at her. She looked at me and continued to stay alerted to Cujo. I yelled again and took a step toward them. She looked at me. I took her collar and walked her away from Cujo. Then I called Cujo over and had him sit "calmly". Only then did Valentina relax! Now this completely caught me off guard. I know they love each other and there is noway Cujo would ever hurt me.

Now I know this sounds silly; but I'm thinking Valentina somehow knew I was in physical pain and didn't need anything with high energy touching me. Even writing this seems silly. I just don't know how else to understand what occurred....

Updating...

I've noticed Valentina favoring her left front leg of late. When Cujo would run up near her with his muscled, high-energy movements, she would make a sound as though she had been hurt. This occurred even when Cujo was not touching her. The same thing occurred when I moved toward her to check her body out. I suspected either a broken bone or cracked ribs; however, in checking her over, I found nothing wrong. Still I made her stay in the house most of last Sunday. She would lay down and make noises as though she were in pain. She would also move her mouth and make noises that were obviously her intent to tell me what was occurring. I did not understand her. During the middle of the night she insisted on going outside; and so I watched her the entire time she was out. She walked very slowly all around the property, stopping to watch and listen for awhile in various areas. I was still uneasy about her and decided to have her evaluated by her vet, i.e. the wonderful Dr. Geyer who spaded her.

Very early this morning I started wondering how on earth I was going to get this large (over 80 lbs) dog into my van. However, this morning when I opened up the side of the van, Valentina started climbing right in as though she knew she was suppose to. (She didn't jump in as have in times past. I helped her in.)

At the vet's office Dr. Geyer weighed her (88.9 lbs) and checked her bones, muscles, ligaments, etc. and also took her temperature. Dr. Geyer also found 3 ticks on her. (Neither dog has had any significant number of ticks all year and I have many guineas and free-ranging fowl that have obviously kept ticks down. Still I have found a few.) Valentina's temperature was 104 when it should have been only 102. Dr. Geyer's attendant maneuvered Valentina's body into all sorts of positions so the doctor could examine different areas and Valentina kept looking at me the entire time while still permitting the attendant to control her body. (Valentina was so sweet during this entire evaluation.)

Dr. Geyer said she thinks Valentina's problem was caused by tick bites. She found no broken bones, no cracked ribs, nothing she thought required an X-ray. She gave Valentina an injection (I think she said for pain or tick infection...forgot.) and sent 2 Rx home with her, i.e. an antibiotic and an anti-inflamatory tablet. She also gave me two (one for Valentina and one for Cujo) chewable "NexGuard" tablets to get rid of any fleas/ticks for 30 days.

When we got back home, Valentina came out of the van as though nothing was wrong. She did her regular checks of all the property and then laid down. She hadn't eaten that morning as I didn't give her anything. (Her appetite has been good the entire time.) So I scramed her 5 eggs and she ate those while Cujo watched. Cujo has been laying often on the other bed on the back porch watching Valentina. He has also moved more slowly so I think he understands though not sure. I am to start both Rx tonight (with food). And the doctor told me if her behavior had not improved significantly by Wednesday I was to call her.

I'm thinking Valentina's behavior has had more to do with "training" Cujo to be less hyper; however, since Valentina did have a fever, I cannot rule out what the doctor said about ticks. I'm continuing to watch her closely....and to second the fact "I" want Cujo to move slower when approaching either Valentina or myself....

Thanks Aart. Yes Valentina seems to be doing well. She is "reluctantly" taking both her Rx and will for a couple more days. However, I've seen her play and run and even tonight she alerted there was something in the orchard near the chicken house.

I ran out and she and Cujo were right at the gate to the orchard in attack mode. In shining the flashlight I saw their concern...There was a possum growling/hissing at the dogs! I opened the gate and Valentina darted in and grabbed it. I heard what sounded like a bone breaking and the possum hang limp in her mouth. Cujo grabbed a part of it too. Neither dog would let go of the possum and it looked like it was dead already.

I thought it strange they didn't kill it like they did the fox awhile back. With the fox Valentina grabbed and shook it, then dropped it. As soon as she dropped it, Cujo grabbed it, shook it and dropped it. When he dropped it, Valentina grabbed it again, shook it and dropped it. It was dead. However, this time with this possum neither dog wanted to drop it. Valentina "laid" it down apparently thinking it was dead already...and maybe it was. Cujo did not grab it. They both just stood there watching it. I got a hoe and discovered it WAS dead.

I don't understand why they treated this preditor differently than they did the fox....

Update...

It's been awhile since I updated this thread. Valentina has been doing a great job on these 6 acres. I certainly have no regrets in getting this breed of LGD.

Today was quite a bit different; so I thought I'ld let you all know what occurred as, again, it speaks well for her. I went into town while the weather permitted so as to stock up on animal feed. When I returned I discovered Valentina had decided to go "outside" my parameter fencing, something she rarely does anymore. By the time I got parked I saw her in the neighbor's pasture with a rather large skeleton of a deer. (Obviously some hunter had shot one, taken what he/she wanted and left the bones....or at least the bones are all Valentina had.) So I grabbed a leash and went over to get her. (She does not come when she wants to do something different..OR unless she thinks I'm in pain.) Anyway as I walked toward her I noticed she was thoroughly enjoying those bones; so I began to wonder if she was going to let me put a leash on her. I should not have worried because she didn't even growl at me. She wagged her tail as I came near her, stood up and came toward me. I put the leash on her, then picked up that rather large skeleton of bones she obviously wanted. She carried part of it while I carried the other end...ROFL...all the way back to the front gate and inside the homestead.

At that time I tore the bones apart and gave Cujo half of them. (He had been waiting so patiently.) Valentina took her half and and they both went over "together" onto some grass to enjoy what they had. LOL Off and on the rest of the day I've seen them each carry their different bones past each other to enjoy them at a different location. Cujo decided to bury what was left of his and Valentina took hers to bed with her. ROFL