No the wolves probably didn't eat Port's leg. It was likely damaged enough to be amputated. Animal doctors exist, they're called vets.
They probably do have safety precautions in place to keep this kind of thing from happening but I don't know a single person that has %100 control of when something goes wrong. Things happen.
It's a farm, yes, but that doesn't mean they kill sheep. There are other reasons to farm sheep, and meat just happens to be one of them.
This dog defended his territory, his person's territory, and those sheep. Wolf attacks on a farm can get out of hand, and if you're not fast enough, getting to stop things like this is very hard. However, that doesn't mean that they did anything wrong. It just happens.
Op gave a pretty brief backstory to the image, and many of you just ran with it, likely in the wrong direction. Port is a good dog, and deserves all the praise.
We have chickens. Not a lot, 25-30 that we use for eggs. My dog(buddy) Who's a Shep/lab, protects the hell out of them. He is not our work/gaurd dog in any way. He's my buddy, hence his name. But try to tell that to him. We have a fox problem in the area. 6 months ago, a family of them took out all but 3 of my chickens. I should say here that they were freerange, but are now penned in. Since then Buddy is always around the coop. Hes chased off quite a few foxes at this point.
Like I said though, we never taught him to do that, nor do we incourage that behaviour. But do it he is, and he does a dam fine job of it. As far as he's concerned those are HIS chickens. This is HIS property.
That being said, he was surrounded one day. Foxes are usually loners, But we had a family living around us. A mama and 5-6 cubs. They would try and raid our coop at all times of the day and night. One day the Wife and I were sitting in the front having a beer after the days work. The wife went inside to grab us another round, and Buddy went with her. Just before she went inside he trotted of to the backyard. A minute later the Wife come running out screeming about the dog. We go running out back and buddy is squaring off against 4 foxes. Man let me tell you, that was a side of my dog I have never seen before. He scared the shit outta me. Never did I ever think my dog could look and be that scary. Like Buddy is a big furry goofy ball of friendlyness. Loves people. We've always said that if we were being murdered he'd be asking the murderer to throw the ball. But this was just...scary. Once the foxes say us they all bolted. But I have no doute that Buddy could have easly takin them all on, and kicked ass. Since then we only ever see a fox from a distance.
Because of this, he get all the pets he wants, and only his Favorite treats. Best dog I've ever had.
That big, goofy, ball of love would absolutely save you from a man trying to harm his people. He may not quite understand why it's a good thing, not the way you do, but he understands that foxes, wolves, and other predators are not welcome. What a good dog.
My Bella is a giant goldendoodle and total softie who has never shown any aggression towards any human or animal... except foxes. She will ram herself against the door to go kill a fox if it steps on her property.
My only comment would be to invest in a spiked collar if they're expecting more wolf attacks, but I saw mention Port is now retired so the active duty dogs might already have them.
Well thanks for nothing I suppose? Really grateful you took time out of your day to accomplish...whatever it is you accomplished here. Thanks king fistbump
These same people will eat their beef, pork, chicken, and lamb from the grocery store but pat themselves on the back for shaming people who actually raise and butcher their own meat - like they’re in any way superior.
Plus the rest of the list is a bit odd. Did they expect a guard dog that is literally there to herd animals and protect them from violent scenarios to... Never actually do their job?
Good point. I feel it’s similar to people who hear the certain breeds are ‘working dogs’ and are much more stimulated and happy when they have a ‘job’ - but then turn around a call a farmer cruel for using his Bernese to haul wood, or duck hunters sick for making labs carrying dead ducks for miles. It’s like they like the theory of working dogs - but not in reality.
Not trying to say no working dogs are abused, but there’s nothing in this post to suggest that’s the case.
Working dogs NEED a job. They will find a job if not assigned one. They thrive with a purpose! When I was a freshman in highschool, my family adopted a border collie/blue heeler/Aussie mix. We didn’t really know to do any research on what kind of dog he was so we weren’t aware of how brilliant or diligent he was. That dog assigned himself the job of protecting ME. To the point of being a bit annoying, and even a liability at times… but he definitely found himself a job otherwise he just would have been lost in life.
Perhaps that's just my semi rural upbringing privilege shining through or something but I'm kind of confused someone would make a list being like "hey we don't know if the owners take precautions sometimes these things can't be avoided" like no shit that's what the dog is for
Frankly, this doggie is too small to take on wolves. Australian shepherds, border collies, etc are a good size to move the sheep around, but no match for wolves, and they'd likely loose to coyotes too. She's qualified for maybe keeping foxes at bay.
If any farmer actually has a wolf problem, and relies on Aussies etc to keep their sheep safe, they're an idiot and should be getting dog breeds that were actually bred to be in the same weight class as wolves. As far as I know, plenty of Eastern European sheepdogs are like that.
Border collie: 12-20kg (26-44lbs)
Australian shepherd: 16-32kg (35-70lbs)
Average male wolf: 40kg (88lbs)
Herding dogs and livestock guardian dogs are two different groups of working dogs. Herding dogs are meant to move herds around, not protect them. LGD's have a completely different temperament and tend to be fairly large.
So, you're agreeing with me; this dog wasn't "doing its job" while fighting the wolves, she was doing something beyond the job she was meant to do. The person I'm replying to is referring to this dog as a "guard dog".
What is the breed? An aussie shepherd maybe? If so then yeah, those aren't guard dogs. Herding dogs are small so that they can be quick and duck the kicks of cattle and horses. I can't tell the scale of the dog from the picture. An LGD is something like an Anatolia shepherd or a great pyrenees.
Could easily be a livestock guardian dog of some kind. They're not all purebred Anatolian Shepherds. I have a friend who breeds Great Pyrenees / St. Bernard mixes as livestock guardians.
Hard to tell scale from the picture, but she looks bigger than a herding dog.
There are many vegans and vegetarians that live by their standards and rightfully point out the cruel conditions of slaughter houses and slaughter farms.
Hey, if that’s their lifestyle I think they have every right. They’re putting their money where their mouth is. I’m just not under the impression most people in this thread fit that bill.
Do you eat chicken? They are no more than 8 weeks old when slaughtered. Relatively speaking, pretty much all of the animals we eat are consumed slightly after they are born.
We talking veal and foie gras kind of stuff? I tend to agree and it’s not my taste either, but also won’t judge someone if that’s their indulgence because hey I eat fish roe on sushi.
I’m vegan and I actually morally support local farms when it’s up against the meat factories. At least the animals on private farms get to live a life of not being tortured, and then that meat can go to local restaurants who take pride in supporting their local farms. That’s how it should be.
I have only found this to be true on the internet. I lived at a campsite full of hippie vegans. But when I brought back wild meat I'd just killed they'd all eat some. They were against industrial farming practices, not me humanely killing invasive animals.
Well I disagree, but I assume we won't be able to convince each other otherwise. A working dog is a working dog and it may be harmed, though it would be nice if it weren't.
You need me to explain why it's wrong to slaughter billions of creatures who can suffer, that we don't need to eat, simply because they taste good?
You think a human enjoying the taste of an animal is worth more than the incessant suffering of the animal?
Not even to mention that animal agriculture is one of the biggest causes of climate change and environmental damage.
And still not even mentioning that every major health organization at the very least recommends eating as little meat as possible, yet the idea of eating none is crazy? 🤔🤔
Meat isn’t bad for you, most diet suggestions change every decade, it goes from eat no meat, eat nuts, eat meat, they can’t make up their minds.
As for the suffering, I know animals suffer, their conditions are terrible for the mass produced. But that doesn’t mean all animals are treated that way.
So, while the suffering is terrible, and the health organizations can’t make up their mind. I still will eat meat, I am not someone easily moved by the sentiments of people that are overly aggressive, and trying to force their way of life upon people.
Vegans would gain my attention if literally everyone I’ve met wasn’t rude and looking down on people who eat meat. Every single person, yourself included, acts like their Jesus, and trying to teach sinners right from wrong. It’s obnoxious, and until proven otherwise, I believe it to be a trait of vegans, and I refuse to be that.
Are you criticizing the scientific process? Recommendations are based on the consensus of the most recent data. Like I said, it's recommended by nearly every organization to eat as little meat as possible.
So you only eat animals that were treated great then? You never eat animal products at a restaurant? Even if you believe that for eating an animal, that doesn't apply to animal products. To get milk you must abduct children from cows, who are extremely maternal and are exactly happy about that. Multiple times in their short existence.
So you misunderstand the scientific process, have cognitive dissonance in relation to the suffering of sentient creatures, being that you recognize, yet contribute, to their suffering and finally, you're emotionally fragile making you unable to follow logical premises when your feelings are hurt.
You know mate honestly I feel the same. When people try to argue against me commiting murder, they always have this superiority about themselves, as if, just because they don't kill innocent people, that they're in some form or fashion better than me?! Makes me want to murder even more, really.
Unless they happen to see sheep to be worth our basic respect regardless of being called "livestock" instead of "pet" like other substantially similar beings, for example dogs.
Why? Pets are exploited too, just for a different purpose. We literally force bred dogs to genetically love us to death, akin to grooming a kid but actually worse. Forced companionship isn't any less cruel than being raised to eat, neither is a choice for the animal and ultimately is about benefitting ourselves.
Followers of Veganism (the philosophy, not the diet)that also house pets (or whatever euphemism you use) are hypocrites.
Not quite. If you're buying from breeders or the like, sure, you're feeding into a terrible practice. If you rescue your pets though, it's more like saving a life. Just don't let it breed.
Actual veganism would see that there would be no more domestic dogs within 20 years (since they would no longer breed).
"But I'm not contributing to anything by taking in a dog that would otherwise by killed if left to it's own devices."
A slave owner could say the same thing. That slave will probably die on his own out there, and some other slaver might pick them up and not be as nice as me! And wouldn't you know it, that slave is so greatful for me giving him a home that he does my yardwork for me!
You are still contributing to the pet owning/breeding system by housing a dog the same way looking at free illegal pornography contributes to the demand of it's creation.
Dogs aren’t slaves, they’re companions, regardless of how they started. There are mistreated animals but that doesn’t mean all are.
A pessimistic outlook on things like that is no good. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain breeds of dogs that should’ve never been bred, but most dogs are fantastic and love people and life.
Slave doesn't mean mistreated, you can even be a "happy" slave... But a slave is still a slave, and just as wrong and terrible. Slave means having zero choice and to be exploited. A dog cannot leave when it wishes, and it exists to give you companionship. Concubines also exist for the purposes of forced companionship, but that doesn't make it ok.
Nothing wrong with killing innocent animals when you can just go to the market and buy some beans? If someone points a gun to my head, gives me a knife and tells me to either kill an innocent animal or slash open a bag of beans, I'm fairly certain I'd slash bean bag every single time.
I'm not saying "don't have compassion for an animal that is going extinct." The point of my comment is to make people realize that, within the circumstances, neither OP or the dog were wrong. It's not like they were hunting the wolves.
I haven't found the jerk replies, they're likely down voted by now, but my gut reaction is Port is a badass AND it's sad this had to happen to her. I understand farming your own meat is better (though I'm sure OP is selling, too) but in the greater context of what is happening in the world (check out the IPCC report) I think we know meat and dairy farming is not super beneficial and we are in the middle of a mass extinction event. Wolves especially have been vilified by people, particularly farmers. I don't think OP is a horrible person, however it all just feels really unnecessary in relation to the big picture.
Within the context of "the bigger picture" you are correct. However, something many of these people don't take into account is the fact that farms like this were likely established before anyone was aware this kind of event was occurring. It stands to reason that OP and his farm are not guilty, necessarily. It is a problem though so thanks for bringing it up.
Totally, personally I'm more focused on industrial agriculture, I have no idea how big OP's farm is, just wish we viewed the dogs protecting the flock, the flock, and the wild animals equally. Like I said, dog is a total hero, but the wolf was just being a wolf. To that end, people saying go shoot the wolf have been down voted so that's nice!
ppl are so nasty its crazy, i do live a different life style, but i differently do not abuse my animals!!! I love them all equally!!!
thank you! port is now a giant lap dog :)
Yeah, OP said he kills lambs in different comment. His dog lost a leg protecting them, and he still kills them in the end. I wonder what the dog would say about it if he could speak.
Ding dong did it occur to you that the vet only removed what was left of the joint and not the entire leg? Just fuck off you have never seen a dog caught by a wolf or you would shut up about being so smug here about it.
OP said that the leg was damaged after the fight with the wolf and the vet had to amputate. I don’t think they got to the sheep as OP said they had 3 other dogs who also helped to fight off the wolf.
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u/LadyDeath1138 Aug 12 '21
To everyone being a jerk:
No the wolves probably didn't eat Port's leg. It was likely damaged enough to be amputated. Animal doctors exist, they're called vets.
They probably do have safety precautions in place to keep this kind of thing from happening but I don't know a single person that has %100 control of when something goes wrong. Things happen.
It's a farm, yes, but that doesn't mean they kill sheep. There are other reasons to farm sheep, and meat just happens to be one of them.
This dog defended his territory, his person's territory, and those sheep. Wolf attacks on a farm can get out of hand, and if you're not fast enough, getting to stop things like this is very hard. However, that doesn't mean that they did anything wrong. It just happens.
Op gave a pretty brief backstory to the image, and many of you just ran with it, likely in the wrong direction. Port is a good dog, and deserves all the praise.