NaturallyResilient

About

At one point in our life travels, we lived on 68 acres. To keep taxes to a reasonable level, we had goats which allowed us to keep the agriculture exemption for the property.

After losing a goat to a coyote, we bought a Great Pyrenees puppy. We named this white pup “Suzy Que” and called her Suzy for short. When we first brought her home we shoved her into the goat pen and the matriarch did not take kindly to a dog being there and butted her around the pen for a while. But Alice and Suzy soon came to terms.

Suzy was just a puppy and not too sure of what she was there for. We had another goat attacked and killed; at that point Suzy seemed to realize her job. It was like she felt sheepish, hanging her head and thinking “oh, this happened on my watch”. After that she took her job seriously.

One day we came home from the store and Suzy was acting all excited. We did not know why. I got some food out and feed the goats but one held back which was totally unlike any of them. Food was usually of prime importance to them. I took another look and it was Abigail and her rear end was bloody. I think Suzy saved Abigail. Abigail quickly recovered.

There was another day when I went outside and Suzy was acting excited, jumping all over the place. She would then take off to the corner of the property and start barking. After doing this several times, I finally got the hint and went to check it out. There was a small dog sitting in the corner shaking with fear. I told Suzy she did a good job, and then held her back while I opened the gate and let the poor dog out. That poor little dog was so grateful to be out of there, I never did see him again.

Suzy would walk the property line, following the fence every morning and evening and would bark at anything that was not where it should be. One night I had driven our van to the gate and left it there overnight. The next morning, there was Suzy, on the other side of the gate barking at that van. She kept at it until I got tired of hearing her and moved it back to the house where it belonged. All-in-all she was a very good and sweet natured goat dog.