Beau, š¾ rest in doggie heaven and guard dog peace. š In 2014, we moved to the ranch – green and inexperienced. I found Beau on a Craigslist ad two hours away, from a 4H girl who raised him as a project. I wanted a guard dog to protect my chickens. Brian didnāt really say yes, but also didnāt say no. I picked him up half way and heād never been in a car. I read up on LGDās and put him out in the pasture with my chicken ācluck truckā and told the girls not to pet him as instructed. He stayed with the chickens for two days, then went to guard the sheep, then went to guard the pigs, then went to guard the cows, thenā¦ circled the house every day while the four little Marys, six years old and under, ran about playing and patrolled the mountains at night. They say really smart livestock guardian dogs know to protect the most precious and vulnerable species. To Beau, that was our family. As a Great Pyrenees, he loved to protect while he roamed the road and thought the crest of the road gave him the best vantage to survey both sides of our ranch. We spent years trying to break his habits, change our fences, keep him in the barn or a feed truck in the mornings and evenings to limit how much time he spent on the roadā¦ but if you know this breed, you know thatās nearly impossible. Last night, someone driving way too fast didnāt see him. But he didnāt suffer. 10 years old is a lot of years for a big old ranch dog. No dog ever had a better life than Beau. He spent his days chasing coyotes and bears and lions and even tangled with a wolf who moved in last year, always protecting our livestock and family first. Our country trapper tracked a bear through the snow for miles, following Beauās footsteps all the way. But heād always come home to snuggle to his girls. We buried him under his favorite watching spot tree on the hill. We will forever miss you, Beau. You were so good and so loved. š
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