Proto is a Maremma which is an Italian breed that’s similar to a Great Pyrenees. We named him Protettore because it’s Italian for “protector” and we call him Proto for short. He is an integral part of what we do here.

 

When we first started out, I wasn’t really sure what our predator load was. There were a lot of sleepless nights as I would listen to the coyotes mating calls coming from very nearby. I also learned our area has eagles and the occasional bear or cougar sighting, but I’ve never seen any of them here. We took a lot of precautions including installing outside lights, surrounding the perimeter of our property with electric netting, and keeping the animals fairly close to the main buildings. But ultimately, it was the fear of wild or stray dogs that finally convinced me to get an LGD.

 

We bought Proto for the pigs and trained him to them. He is bonded to them and extremely protective over them. If a pig squeals, he goes running over to investigate.  He loves his piggies almost as much as we do, if not more. After all, he would lay down his life to keep them safe. He doesn’t care as much about what the birds do, which Iprefer, so I trust him around them unsupervised.

 

We had zero losses to predators before we got Proto as a puppy in late 2018, but his addition has granted me a peace of mind that money just can’t buy. I sleep a lot better at night knowing he’s watching over us all.

 

Because we intentionally didn’t socialize him, you will never actually get to meet Proto, but you can admire him from a safe distance as he scrutinizes your every move.