A heroic dog in Georgia is being celebrated once again for bravely saving his flock of sheep from 11 coyotes in 2022.
Casper the Great Pyrenees recently won the American Farm Bureau’s “Farm Dog of the Year: People’s Choice Pup” award, 11 Alive reported Monday.
“Casper receives a trophy plate and Purina products. A $1,000 cash prize will be directly donated to [the] Atlanta-based LifeLine Animal Project at the request of Wierwille,” the bureau said in a press release Sunday. “LifeLine cared for Casper after he was injured by coyotes while protecting his flock of sheep.”
The incident happened in November 2022 when the coyotes neared the home belonging to John Wierwille, who is an urban shepherd, according to Breitbart News.
When Casper saw a few of the coyotes had broken into the pen with the sheep, he charged at them and killed several. Some of the coyotes jumped the fence and ran off, but Casper ran after them and killed a few more before disappearing.
When he returned a few days later, he was seriously injured, and Wierwille, who had been deeply concerned for his dog the entire time, took him for medical treatment that included several surgeries and a tail amputation.
The brave dog eventually recovered. During an interview in March, Wierwille offered high praise for the Great Pyrenees breed, stating, “They are so loyal. They are determined to stay with their animals,” adding he could not do his job without them:
“We try to coexist with coyotes, but you come across the fence, and that’s where coexistence ends, especially for the coyotes. The dogs decide: That’s it. And that’s important. They take care of those threats,” he added.
In a social media post on Sunday, Wierwille shared a photo of Casper and announced he had won the award.
“Thank you also to everyone who voted for our brave, determined, and goofy livestock protector,” he wrote in the post:
Hey Everyone, I know you have been waiting to hear the results of the People's Choice Pup Award. Farm Bureau just…
Posted by John Wierwille on Sunday, January 21, 2024
“We are proud of Casper and glad he has a long life of doing what he loves ahead of him,” Wierwille concluded.
