Dog

[The Sniper]

I until recently was the proud owner of one Great Pyrenees dog. About a week ago she randomly disappeared, I believe she was kidnapped. It wouldnt be hard considering she would go anywhere with anybody, she was such a nice girl, and she would never hurt a chicken at all. And over the year~ I had her, I saw almost zero predators. Around here we have LOADS or possums, plenty of skunks, and a few coons, and sometimes the occasional weasel or ferret. only once have I ever seen a fox, and never a bear to be seen around here, and the coyotes dont leave the creek bed 1/4 mile away. My main issue is the opossums and skunks. In the week since my lady was taken, I have seen (and dispatched) multiple possums PER DAY or night its always after dark. I recently hatched a big batch of chicks and bought 55 chicks too. I keep them in troughs outside with large flake wood shaving bedding, water, starter-grower crumbles, and no heat lamp as it is plenty hot already (it was 100F today) I keep a lid of steel racks that has 4 inch square in it. Will that keep out possums and skunks?? I also have 5 cats but they aren't an issue.
Please also recommend breeds of dog that are friendly and harmless to all but predators, but don't cost $2000 and are targets of dog thieves.
Thanks for reading all that

 

[CascadiaRiver]

I would look into another LGD but get them microchipped. If someone finds your lost dog or steals it, anywhere they'd take it would scan it for a chip even if they were just trying to establish it at their own vet to keep it. LGD can be very stubborn, but teaching good boundaries and recall can be a (long, annoying process, but a-) very helpful tool!

 

[The Sniper]

idk if we even have a vet within 45 miles, I doubt any dog thieves here would take a dog to a vet anyways. maybe just sell it a hundred miles over

 

[cassie]

I until recently was the proud owner of one Great Pyrenees dog. About a week ago she randomly disappeared, I believe she was kidnapped. It wouldnt be hard considering she would go anywhere with anybody, she was such a nice girl, and she would never hurt a chicken at all. And over the year~ I had her, I saw almost zero predators. Around here we have LOADS or possums, plenty of skunks, and a few coons, and sometimes the occasional weasel or ferret. only once have I ever seen a fox, and never a bear to be seen around here, and the coyotes dont leave the creek bed 1/4 mile away. My main issue is the opossums and skunks. In the week since my lady was taken, I have seen (and dispatched) multiple possums PER DAY or night its always after dark. I recently hatched a big batch of chicks and bought 55 chicks too. I keep them in troughs outside with large flake wood shaving bedding, water, starter-grower crumbles, and no heat lamp as it is plenty hot already (it was 100F today) I keep a lid of steel racks that has 4 inch square in it. Will that keep out possums and skunks?? I also have 5 cats but they aren't an issue.
Please also recommend breeds of dog that are friendly and harmless to all but predators, but don't cost $2000 and are targets of dog thieves.
Thanks for reading all that

Good grief!! I used to live in an area with lots of wildlife. I never found skunks or possums to be a problem. But then I kept my poultry in an area safe from predators.

Something like a Komondor would guard your livestock but would be unlikely to go with strangers. Was your dog microchipped? You might consider electric poultry fencing. Premier carries it.

 

[febane]

I until recently was the proud owner of one Great Pyrenees dog. About a week ago she randomly disappeared, I believe she was kidnapped. It wouldnt be hard considering she would go anywhere with anybody, she was such a nice girl, and she would never hurt a chicken at all. And over the year~ I had her, I saw almost zero predators. Around here we have LOADS or possums, plenty of skunks, and a few coons, and sometimes the occasional weasel or ferret. only once have I ever seen a fox, and never a bear to be seen around here, and the coyotes dont leave the creek bed 1/4 mile away. My main issue is the opossums and skunks. In the week since my lady was taken, I have seen (and dispatched) multiple possums PER DAY or night its always after dark. I recently hatched a big batch of chicks and bought 55 chicks too. I keep them in troughs outside with large flake wood shaving bedding, water, starter-grower crumbles, and no heat lamp as it is plenty hot already (it was 100F today). For extra advice on protecting my chicks, I checked https://bark-busters.pissedconsumer.com/review.html. I keep a lid of steel racks that has 4 inch square in it. Will that keep out possums and skunks?? I also have 5 cats but they aren't an issue.
Please also recommend breeds of dog that are friendly and harmless to all but predators, but don't cost $2000 and are targets of dog thieves.
Thanks for reading all that

A steel rack with 4 inch squares might not fully keep out possums and skunks; smaller mesh like hardware cloth with half inch openings is more effective. For a guardian dog, consider breeds like Anatolian Shepherd, Maremma Sheepdog, or mixed livestock guardian dogs. They’re protective, generally affordable, and less targeted by thieves.