Mark and Pam Perry  *  Bayard, NE  *  308-631-6398
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Tulla

Tulla was our first LGD purchase.  An adorable bundle of fluff... sweet, loving Tulla.  This girl loves children and would have excelled as a family pet for a housefull of two legged kids.  She adores our grandchildren and almost overwhelms them with Pyr love.  At the same time she indispensible as a LGD on our farm.  She is a powerhouse of protection for our Boer Goats.

At six months of age (still just a puppy herself) we heard her barking and very upset one evening after dark.  Mark went out with a spot light and on the other side of our pasture fence had six sets of eyes looking back at him.... coyotes!  And a six month old pup doing her best to let us know!  Not long after that ... our eldest son was here one afternoon, working on his pickup in our driveway ... when he heard Tulla start barking... he knew something was really wrong.  He went around the back of the house to see a dog on the fence line thru the trees with Tulla barking and rushing the fence.  He grab a rifle from the house and headed out.  As he rounded the back of an old shed he realized the ... dog... he thought he saw thru the trees was a coyote.    Tulla was still charging the fence and trying to get it... let's keep in mind she was just a pup!  The coyote took off ...  but we realized we need more than one LGD with the coyote activity we were seeing.

Tulla has more than earned her keep around here.  One evening as it was getting dark, she set to barking... but this bark sounded different, and we rushed to see what the problem was. One of our Full Blood Boer does, had stood up on a grain trough, put her head thru the fence and had slipped... she was now hanging from the fence.  We were able to get her out of the fence and save her... but had it not been for Tulla... we wouldn't have found her until the next morning and it would have been far too late.

When Tulla was baout 2 years old we had come in late one evening and did the chores in the dark.  The next morning when I went out to do chores and check goats I couldn't find Tulla.  Emma met me at the barn and seemed to have an urgent problem... it was evident she wanted me to follow her.  As we rounded the horse sheds I saw Tulla... she was out on the pasture, setting against the fence line watching me coming toward her.  As I got closer she stood up and came to me.  It was then that I realized there was a young kid with it's head caught in the fence beside her.  The young doe (as it turned out) had probably been there all night.  So had Tulla, she had made herself a bed by digging herself a spot right next to that doe kid, and bedded down for the night.   When I got the little doe out of the fence she ran to Tulla first... then headed for the barn, with Tulla trotting along on her heals.  Once that kid was reunited with her mom... Tulla went and got a big drink and strecthed out for a nap.  Job well done!

During a family Bar B Que just last summer... Tulla started barking at something just outside the fence line.  I was in the kitchen when I realized she had started barking and now two other dogs were barking with her.  I stopped and listened... my heart sank I  knew that bark.  I ran to the door asked one of my sons to get a shovel and get over there that they had a snake cornered.  He looked over there and said "Mom they are barking at that cat."    I said  "No... they don't bark at the cats... they have a snake", he again told me they were just barking at the cat.  Finally I said "Fine... I'll go."  Which of course spurs my son into action... he goes walking over to where the dogs are barking... a suddenly hollars "I need  shovel!  They have  a rattlesnake cornered."   hmmmm... imagine that.  <wink>   Once the snake was dispatched he asked how I knew.  I told him... I know my dogs... I know that bark... and Tulla does not like snakes of any kind... I knew they had a snake.

Tulla has no tolerance for coyotes, stray dogs, hawks, eagles, raccoons, possums, snakes, stray tom cats or fox.  She just doesn't allow problems into her territory.

Tulla is now 6 years old... she raised us two litters of beautiful puppies and unfortunatley had to be spayed due to complications with the last litter.  But her pups are also excellant LGD's... and performing wonderfully in their homes.   Tulla is now in charge of the weanling doe pen.  They have a nice pasture with trees and open spaces to see all over the farm.  Tulla loves her goats and you will find her laying in the pasture somewhere with young does either eating or lying down with Tulla. She still runs to meet the grandchildren... and adores them dearly.   She has an incredibly gentle nature about her...  But don't mess with her goats... she takes her job very seriously.