Something about this doesn't add up.

https://www.11alive.com/article/lif.../85-4197e55d-d611-4047-a6c6-f7cbe34e43d5

Seems more likely the dog found a den, killed the pups then got chewed on by the adults

Doubt he found a den, with pups, in November, in a fenced in backyard, in an urban community.

I believe the story.

My wife and I had a group of 6 coyotes run up on us the other evening while taking the dogs on a walk.

These urban areas are absolutely ate up with fox and coyotes.

Story has changed since the first time it was on here. Something doesn't ring true.

Looks like a fabricated fund raising piece. Weird to talk about sheep in a cul de sac. Weird that a sheepherder would throw rocks at coyotes in a sheep pen. Weird that the dogs owner needed the help of a "non profit" to fix up his dog.

Bet the donations add up to a large pile. The story smells like a pile.

Decatur is urban but full of gentrification and granola fruits and nuts types. There is a huge back to nature foodie culture there. Backyard poultry, front yard gardens, beekeeping (huge there), and even goats and sheep. I helped a beekeeper there who runs a brush clearing service all over the metro with goats.

So yes, I have no doubts there is a sheep paddock or two in town. Probably a small one. Decatur is also eat up with coyotes that have almost completely lost their fear of humans and other canines. So killing sheep would be exactly like shooting fish in a barrel. They regularly run in "packs" in town, family groups actually. The family groups have much smaller territories than in a more rural locale due to both increased populations and higher food density. Having four or more in on an attack does not surprise me at all. I've witnessed that myself seeing them pull down deer. Which is usually simple in urban areas if they get it cornered. They don't run them down but flush them into fence corners and tight spots then brute force take them down. And fences are everywhere in town.

I've trapped all over Decatur for almost twenty years now.

I'm sure this story is being spun to serve a purpose.

My wonder is why was there a LGD even there as Decatur and Dekalb County have very strict leash laws. Short of one of those "invisible fence" collar systems being around the paddock the dog could not be loose legally. I also think there was the element of surprise as those coyotes were more used to interacting with, and occasionally eating, lapdog type canines.

I do know that the Lifeline Project is the chief anti kill shelter and TNR group in all of Georgia. They contract run the Fulton and Dekalb County animal control/shelter as well as the Atlanta Humane Society. They are constantly fund raising and the gal that runs it has an eye popping salary.

Click on the video. Did you see his backyard? Completely fenced in.

I am curious as to why a guy would want to raise a bunch of sheep in a tiny backyard in an urban area. Odd.

I'm not a sheep guy but have read some about Pyrenees and sheep and had a nearby neighbor that had 2 out with his sheep herd. I used to horseback ride past his place. If it was just me riding the big dogs ignored me but if my 2 dogs were with me the Pyrenees would come close to the fence line and stay between us and the sheep. When handled/trained properly the Pyrenees bond with the herd instead of the people and are NOT a pet. I can believe the dog would do everything it could to defend the herd but I don't for a second believe it would leave the herd to pursue the coyotes. The very young age of the dog also makes it difficult to believe. I also don't believe a Pyrenees could catch a fleeing coyote or that the coyotes would stick around for so many to be killed. If the coyotes had driven the dog off and were trying to kill it I think some of the sheep would have been killed too. I guess what makes it especially difficult to believe is that a coyote is not easy to kill, especially with 7 or more others tearing at you, even for a Pyrenees.

Correct on all accounts, Ed. I grew up with sheep and protecting them. As a lad, we never had guard dogs, but trapped around them in Wy for many years. The pyrenees are common, and the ranch I was on, that is what they used. They raised them right in the pastures, taking food and water out every day. I caught one of them one day, and when he saw me, he held his foot up, like in saying, come take this thing off. I thought it may be a problem, and approached cautiously, but knew I was there to help him. Grabbed his big head and turned him loose. Never said thank you, but just went back to his sheep! The story about the dog in the OP’s article got too many holes in it for me!

There is no explaining those type of people.

Here's an angle on it. Expect to see a push to regulate breeders of dogs.

https://www.11alive.com/article/lif.../85-659ee842-7dfe-4858-a48c-67ada78c6f95

I believe one of those Pyrenees dogs can take on a bunch of coyotes. There’s a handful of sheep farms around and these dogs are common. I was just at a sheep farm a few weeks ago and the guy there told me about the Pyrenees dog they had and how it wouldn’t tolerate any coyote, fox, or any other dog. Killed every one that it could catch.

The thing that I find strange is how clean that dog looks after a night long battle with 11 coyotes. Not a single scratch on his eyes, lips, nose, or ears. That dog should be cut up.

Even a wolf or a coyote caught in a foothold in the bush has cut up lips sometimes. And that’s self inflicted.

Casper has a lot of clear damage in the pictures I've seen. His right ear has been mangled and shaved, the back of his neck is damaged, he has wounds on both sides, his right eye is damaged, his right rear ankle was shaved and his tail docked.





Keith

I didn't see all that . Read it in the story but remember he is still a pup. Not buying it for a minute.

Looks more like he got hit by a car.

Casper is 20 months old.

Keith

A neighbor 2 miles west had a couple hundred sheep and a Pyrenees that roamed with them. He also had a cow type dog. After the crop was off In the fall and winter he would open the gate and turn them loose to go graze during the day. One evening just after dark in January the old guy calls and says he needs some help. Raymond was in his mid eighty's then. He had a horse that rolled on him and he lost one leg at the knee, so he didn't get around as good as some. So I ask what he needed, and he said he had a coyote that moved in the yard and he wanted it dead. He said it was about 80-90% bold from mange and it was staying in the hay stack or out buildings. He didn't want me to set traps or snares for fear of catching his dogs. I told him I could bring some beaver carcasses over and put them where he could see them and he could just shoot the coyote from the house. So I drive over and drop the beaver where he wants them. About five days later he calls and says I have to come shoot the coyote. He said he had missed it three times with the rifle and twice with the PU. I was working 40 hours a week and had an hour drive each way, I left in the dark and got home just before dark. So I told him to call me on the weekend if he saw the coyote and not to bother it. So Saturday morning he calls about the time the sun is coming up. It was 25 below with a 20-30 MPH wind. I got my winter gear on and put a set of whites over it. Drove over and walked up the driveway, which was about 300 yards. When I got to the house he was pointing toward the beaver through the door window. I eased to the corner of the house and the coyote and Pyrenees were both standing at the beaver looking at me. I raised the rifle and the coyote started trotting. He was always behind or lined up with something and he headed SW across country. I knew with the cold and wind and the lack of fur, it would want to bed down and not keep moving. I tracked her a little over a half mile and she stood up about 25 yards in front of me and shook. She had no idea I was there. Snow was drifting with the wind and I figure it was melting on her bare skin. I shot her and headed back to the house. Raymond said that the dog would not bother the coyote unless it was after the sheep. I can't say I was real impressed with the dog. All it did was keep me from trapping and snaring. But the old guy was happy I killed his yard coyote.