Why We Run Livestock Guardian Dogs: A Morning Reminder

Some lessons on a farm don’t come from books or best practices—they come from paying attention.

This morning, as I finished chores, I made my usual last stop: feeding the weanling calves. That paddock is guarded by our two livestock guardian dogs, Seda and Bosa. Nothing about the routine felt unusual until I stepped into the feed room and was hit with a strong, unmistakable odor.

Skunk.

At first, I assumed one had simply passed through during the night. That happens. But when I reached the calves, I noticed something that stopped me cold—blood on Bosa’s coat.

Given his age, my first thought was that he and Seda had sorted out a minor disagreement. Young males have a way of testing boundaries. But a closer look showed no wounds. The blood was sitting on top of the fur, not coming from it.

That’s when it became clear something else had happened.

On a hunch, I asked the dogs to show me. Without hesitation, both headed in the same direction, straight into the woods. Overnight sleet had left a light dusting on the ground, and it didn’t take long to spot an area where the white abruptly stopped—a clear sign of disturbance.

A confrontation had taken place there.

What initially looked like a pile of leaves turned out to be a dispatched skunk.

While coyotes are the most obvious threat livestock guardian dogs are expected to deter, they are far from the only one. Skunks are a serious biosecurity risk, particularly around young cattle. Weanling calves are curious by nature and will walk right up to wildlife. A bite or scratch from a skunk can introduce diseases that no cattle owner wants to deal with—rabies and leptospirosis among them.

This was not a dramatic event. No animals were lost. No emergency calls were made. And that is precisely the point.

Livestock guardian dogs are not just about predator defense. They are about prevention. They intercept problems before those problems ever reach the herd. Most of their work happens quietly, often unseen, and is only noticed when something doesn’t go wrong.

Despite the lingering odor and the mess left behind, Seda and Bosa did exactly what they are here to do. They identified a threat, removed it, and kept the calves safe.

Good dogs.
And a quiet reminder of why they matter.

That evening, their food bowls were a little heavier than usual—well earned.