Carolina Pyr Rescue

4 hours ago

Will someone take a chance on...Chance?!

This precious boy was found by a rescue partner roaming in South Carolina. Like so many juvenile Pyrs we take in these days, he was likely dumped to fend for himself or die trying.

Chance is incredibly sweet. This boy is a velcro Pyr and wants all the lovies and attention. He would be a great match for a family with a playful female dog his size or social smaller dogs of either sex. He is a good fit for a family with kids!

To take a Chance (get it?!), read about our placement process and fill out an application to schedule a meet-and-greet at carolinapyrrescue.com. ... See MoreSee Less

Carolina Pyr Rescue

4 hours ago

Our friend Joy at Providence Farm is with us on the front line of the guardian dog overpopulation crisis in the Carolinas.

If you are thinking about acquiring an LGD for your farm or homestead, please follow her on social media and take to heart what she says about how to train -- and not fail -- these dogs.Rant alert because the day started, once again, with a request to take a dog, consult on another (always happy to do that), and possibly assist a rescue...

It’s time again … like it wasn’t ever actually time anywhere along the way… to remind folks getting into homesteading, farming, ranching, farm steading, co-op land stewardship, agritourism with critters to pet, agritourism without critters….that you VERY likely do NOT need a livestock guardian dog…not a Pyrenees, not an Anatolian, not a Kangal, not a Karakachan, not a not-an-actual-LGD Colorado Mountain Dog. STOP ACQUIRING THESE DOGS ONLY TO TAP OUT WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH!

Now I know what you’re gonna say… “the (insert list of usual suspects in the way predators) are unaliving my (chickens or insert the livestock you keep or plan to acquire)” OR “I hear coyotes almost every night and I’m pretty sure there are several dozen. It’s very unsettling and I lost some chickens last week.”

It’s admirable that you want to keep your animals safe and protect them from the wildlife that’s just trying to survive…or from your neighbor’s perpetually at large dog(s) that are constantly crapping up your place and trying to unalive the (fill in the blank with type of animals you keep).

HOWEVER - the reality is that a livestock guardian dog is NOT an easy button solution to your predator management issues. It requires sound fencing and training/guidance to make up a puppy into a mature, working, dependable guardian. You cannot just throw said LGD puppy out with your stock, offer a “good luck, y’all,” and walk away expecting success. These dogs are DOGS, first and foremost, and go through alllll the same stages as any dog…puppyhood, adolescence, and finally mature adult. Just like a humanoid crotch spawn, these dogs require guidance and training (didn’t I just say that?) especially during adolescence.

Rescues continue to tread water while being SWAMPED with requests to take in “failed” LGD…usually Pyrenees, simply because they are the most common breed in North America. These dogs are not usually failures…most of the time they have been failed by humans who didn’t have a clue about what they were getting into. Either they didn’t do sufficient research or were given bad info by someone trying to sell puppies. Here are a few of the most common reasons rescue gets called upon to take these alleged failures….

Item 1: The dog won’t stay in the fencing...usually because it’s insufficient, they don’t respect it, and it’s self-rewarding to escape and go on walkabouts…guess who could’ve prevented/fixed that with better fencing?

Item 2: This dog harasses/maims/unalives poultry and stock…because they’ve maybe been tossed into the melee without structure/guidance/training…guess whose responsibility it was to provide the aforementioned?

Item 3: This dog just loves to wander; I can’t keep it home!…see Item 1.

Item 4: The dog is “food aggressive”…this is just plain & simple resource guarding and is so common in LGDs sometimes I think it should just be listed as a breed trait. Guess whose job it is to make sure the dog can eat without having to defend its food from nosy goats and marauding chickens…or keep the children away from the dog…or teach the dog from the time it’s a puppy that it doesn’t own everything?

Item 5: The dog is boisterous and jumps and bounces and knocks over my kids. Guess whose job it was to teach the puppy to keep all 4 on the floor when it was still small enough for you to most effectively and easily teach that?

Item 6: The dog barks all the time…it barks all night and my neighbors are calling the law on us! Guess who should’ve done their research ahead of time to understand that barking at predators/perceived threats as a warning to go away is the LGD’s first line of defense?

EVERY single week I am asked to take in or assist with 3-4 LGDs somewhere in the United States. Not just locally…shelters, humane societies, other rescues who are just trying to save these dogs from the needle when they inevitably end up in the shelter because people tap out and can’t find situations for them…New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, California, Ohio, Nebraska, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, Kentucky, and, of course, North Carolina…and that’s just the places represented by calls/emails/texts since last October. I am one individual doing LGD rescue…the 501c3 rescues are insanely overwhelmed. There is NOWHERE to put the adolescent LGD that you acquired and now want to tap out on. We are struggling to find suitable homes for the made dogs…and, no, you can’t just let the dog wander your ten acres that backs up to public land so it can protect your forty free range chickens and two pet goats.

There is a lot of misinformation out in the Wild West of the Interwebz as it relates to these dogs…lots of folks with a platform to spew their wrong advice; lots of yahoos peddling puppies from questionable parents with zero health clearances, poor hips, bad coats, and inconsistent temperaments. We recommend Learning About LGDs Facebook group for best practices advice and information. Join that group and LEARN what to expect from this lifelong commitment to a giant barking & shedding machine that has been bred for 1000s of years to do its job independent of direction (aka you’re not the boss of me, Brenda, I got this…).

And while you’re doing the deep dive and learning all you can about these dogs, employee one or all of the following to manage predators BEFORE considering the LGD:

Electric fencing, fladry, motion lights, solar powered predator eye lights, portable radio, predator urine, motion sensor sprinkler systems (only suitable for no freeze climates), and any other sketchy looking accoutrement that you can move around that makes your livestock area seem unstable and risky to predators. If you try all of that and still can’t deter the predators (domestic dogs won’t care about any of the above except the electric fencing- they are not risk averse), THEN consider an LGD and go about it the right way. The right way does NOT include Craigslist, Tractor Supply bulletin board, randoms in the WalMart parking lot, or backyard breeders generating revenue by producing puppies from parents with zero health clearances.

I’m sure all of this sounds really bossy pants, “why don’t you mind your own business, Joy,” and harsh but, seriously, y’all…It becomes my business when you ask me to take on your 9 month old Thor or Luna that is unruly and off the rails because of no guidance/training. Those of us doing rescue cannot continue to absorb all of the dogs that too many people seem to feel are just disposable farm equipment …and we’re sick of seeing them euthanized at alarming rates all across the country. Every breed specific rescue I know, Bluebonnet in Texas, Big Fluffy Dog in Tennessee continue to do what they can and yet the calls to take these dogs just keep coming
And let me also be clear… Backyard breeders & Unethical Puppy Producers (your AKC papers mean jack when you dump that litter of BWD puppies at the local shelter…we see you every time you do this!)…this problem rests squarely on y’all’s shoulders as much as it does the unequipped newbs. Randomly produced LGD shouldn’t be a revenue stream on your homestead, I do NOT care what the power point at the national conference said.

DO BETTER.

Picture for the tax…this is the infamous Hazel, our fabulous guard anything Pyr who came here 7 years ago at 7 months old after her owner determined that she wasn’t suitable for life in an apartment. That’s right, Hazel was a rescue. It took a year + to finish her to a dependable, working dog. Sadly – due to unethical breeding – Hazel struggle with mild hip dysplasia, a degenerative process that will eventually render her to unsound to do the job she loves. ... See MoreSee Less

Carolina Pyr Rescue

18 hours ago

Maverick is a silly boy who loves to rumpus and give kisses. He would be a great match for a family with a playful female dog his size. Kids are great for him!

Maverick is ready to be someone's Valentine! To learn more about him and schedule a meet-and-greet, visit carolinapyrrescue.com and fill out an application.

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Carolina Pyr Rescue

18 hours ago

A pupdate on Lorek!I don't have a fresh picture, but Lorek's surgery on Tuesday went well! We have TARA's van and will be moving him to Carolina Pyr Rescue tomorrow. Wish us luck! If you are inclined to do so, you can donate directly to his account at Pinehurst Animal Hospital and Dental Clinic and we appreciate those that have done so already. This was not an inexpensive rescue, but he's worth every penny! ... See MoreSee Less

Carolina Pyr Rescue

2 days ago

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Carolina Pyr Rescue

4 days ago

Enjoy a rest with someone you love today. #sleepysunday

#CGPRAlum Molly and her sister

#PyrsAreFamily #PyrsBeingPyrs #ProtectWhatYouLove ... See MoreSee Less

Carolina Pyr Rescue

6 days ago

Athena 2 is Athena 2 because we already have an Athena in the rescue, and this Athena also knows her name! (Well, to the extent that any Pyr responds to their name!)

Athena is a sweet girl who came to us when her owner's life situation changed and he could no longer care for her. Athena is a Pyrfect girl! She's wants all the lovies from humans, but she could go either way about other dogs and is pretty indifferent. She might be happiest as the only dog in the home.

She's fully vaccinated, spayed, and ready to be someone's Valentine. Is that you!

To learn about our placement process and schedule an application to meet the dogs in our care, head to carolinapyrrescue.com.

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