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Ranchers in Wyoming say people have taken livestock guardian dogs from rural properties and delivered them to shelters, mistaking working animals for strays. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office has asked the public to leave the dogs where they are and contact authorities rather than transporting them.
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office is asking people not to pick up large dogs they see in rural Wyoming, warning that animals mistaken for strays may be livestock guardian dogs working with flocks. Rancher Martin Wissner said a neighbor took his Akbash dog Faith to a Cheyenne shelter, leaving his sheep without their guardian until he retrieved her.
Wissner said Faith disappeared from her post at his ranch near Carpenter, where she protects sheep from predators. He called animal control in Cheyenne and learned the dog had been dropped off at a local shelter after a neighbor spotted her just outside a fence on his property. Wissner said Faith wore a collar with a rabies tag and a halter bearing a plate with his name, address and contact information. He drove about 30 miles to retrieve her and paid a fine.
The sheriff’s office said it frequently receives calls about well-meaning people picking up guardian dogs and taking them to shelters. In a public statement, the department described them as working dogs that live on open range. They may be away from a rancher or other people while remaining with the livestock they are trained to protect.
Wissner said Faith was not readily interchangeable with another dog. He described guardian dogs as costing about $1,000 and said it can take one to two years to teach a dog the boundaries of a property and establish its work. He also said an Akbash can look thin to people used to heavier breeds such as Great Pyrenees, despite being healthy and active.
A Missing Dog Leaves Flocks Exposed
When a guardian dog is taken away, the consequences extend beyond the animal’s owner. The dog may be a flock’s round-the-clock protection from predators, and removing it can leave livestock without that defense. Wissner said his dogs stay with the animals all year, watching and alerting or defending them.
The incident also shows how a rescue attempt can create practical costs for ranchers: time spent locating and retrieving a dog, shelter or fine-related expenses, and disruption to a trained animal’s work. Shelter staff Carey Sullivan told Cowboy State Daily that people who bring in these dogs generally have good intentions, but owners are often annoyed because the dog has been kept from its job.
The concern is not that every dog seen loose in ranch country is necessarily safe or where it should be. It is that appearance and distance from people alone may not show whether a dog is lost. The sheriff’s office is asking the public to avoid making that judgment by removing the animal themselves.
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How Guardian Dogs Differ
Livestock guardian dogs are distinct from herding dogs. Herding dogs move sheep or cattle; guardian dogs live alongside the animals and watch for predators. Their work can continue when a rancher is not nearby, so a dog seen by a road or outside a fence may still be on its assigned range.
Wissner said he has lived on his ranch near Carpenter for nearly 30 years and monitors his dogs to make sure they stay where they belong. In Faith’s case, he said the neighbor believed the dog was a stray and malnourished. Wissner attributed that impression to the Akbash’s lighter build compared with some other large guardian breeds.
Shelter practices differ across the area. Carey Sullivan, staff manager at Paws for Life Animal League in Riverton, said guardian dogs have been brought there after being found in rural areas. Megan Manning, operations manager at The Pet Connection in Lander, said her shelter has not experienced the same pattern and is generally at capacity; people who call about loose dogs are encouraged to contact law enforcement rather than bring them directly to the shelter.
“Our LGDs do a yeoman job 24/7/365 of watching over their livestock and alerting/defending them from all sorts of predators.”
— Martin Wissner, rancher
How Often Dogs Are Removed
The available accounts do not establish how many livestock guardian dogs have been picked up across Wyoming, how often the incidents occur, or whether the number is increasing. The sheriff’s office said it frequently receives calls about the issue, while Sullivan said it has happened quite a bit at her Riverton shelter. Manning said she has not seen the same pattern at The Pet Connection in Lander.
The source report does not give the outcome of the neighbor’s contact with Wissner or explain the fine he paid to retrieve Faith. It also does not specify a single procedure that applies across every county or shelter when a person encounters a loose dog. A dog’s status and any immediate risk may depend on the circumstances at the location.
The sheriff’s office’s immediate request is that people leave suspected guardian dogs in place rather than put them in a vehicle and take them to a shelter. Manning said people who find a loose dog in her area are encouraged to contact law enforcement, which can assess whether the animal is lost or working.
The report does not identify a new enforcement policy or a scheduled follow-up announcement. For now, the public appeal is for residents and visitors to use local authorities as the point of contact when concerned about a dog in ranch country, rather than assuming the animal has been abandoned.
Key Questions
What is a livestock guardian dog?
It is a dog that lives with livestock and watches for predators, rather than a herding dog whose role is to move animals from place to place.
Why are ranchers asking people not to take these dogs to shelters?
The dogs may be working with livestock even when no rancher is nearby. Removing one can interrupt its protection of a flock and require the owner to locate and retrieve it.
What should someone do if they see a dog in rural Wyoming?
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office says not to pick up suspected guardian dogs. Shelter manager Megan Manning said people in her area should contact law enforcement about a loose dog rather than bring it directly to a shelter.
Are all dogs seen outside a fence working guardian dogs?
No. The report does not say that every dog seen loose in a rural area is working. Its point is that people should not assume a dog is a stray based only on seeing it away from a rancher or livestock.
Source: cowboystatedaily.com
