A Great Pyrenees named Casper, who made headlines last year after he fought off a pack of coyotes to protect a flock of sheep, is in the running for a "Dog of the Year" competition.
Casper is one of five finalists for the American Farm Bureau's "Farm Dog of the Year: People's Choice Pup" contest, American Farm Bureau spokesperson Cyndie Shearing told Newsweek in an email interview on Friday. Voting, which can be done on the Farm Bureau's website, ends December 20.
"People's Choice Pup is part of the overall Farm Dog of the Year contest, which celebrates farm dogs and the many ways they support farmers and ranchers in producing nutritious food for families and their pets across America," Shearing said, adding that the winner of People's Choice Pup will be determined by the results of the online public voting.
Casper's owner, 56-year-old John Wierwille, of Decatur, Georgia, told Newsweek in an email interview on Friday that the 3-year-old Great Pyrenees is a hamburger-loving pup who excels at patrolling and guarding.
He said that Casper is not only big and strong, but also intelligent and very affectionate.
"He loves his people and his sheep," Wierwille said. "He is wonderfully goofy. His energy is contagious and boundless. Even the sheep feel invincible when Casper is around and frankly, sheep never feel invincible."
However, Casper's owner said the 3-year-old pup is not fully trained and is "very bad" at staying in his enclosure because he prefers to hunt down threats.
"Casper is really an ordinary dog in lots of ways, but he is extraordinary when it comes to protecting his flock," Wierwille said.
Casper's Viral Story
Last year, Casper amassed international recognition with media outlets all over the world dubbing the dog a "hero."
In November 2022, Casper was doing his job as a livestock guardian dog for the Wierwilles' business, which uses a flock of sheep to clear vines and brush in mostly urban settings. The guardian dogs are responsible for protecting the flock from threats.
Wierwille told Newsweek that they move the sheep from "place-to-place" and set up fences to enclose them, with dogs patrolling the boundaries to protect them from predators such as coyotes, foxes and owls. Once the sheep overgraze an area, the flock and their dogs are moved to the next location.
"We have only ever lost two lambs to coyotes with dogs on site and one to a large owl," Wierwille said. "The dogs are essential to our work because there are coyotes in every neighborhood in Atlanta."
On the day of the famed coyote battle that made Casper a viral sensation, the Great Pyrenees and his mate Daisy were keeping an eye on several sheep in a pen next to the Wierwilles' home when the dogs encountered multiple coyotes. Wierwille said he counted 11 with three inside the enclosure.
While Daisey stayed with the sheep, Casper charged the threat and took down the coyotes one-by-one in a series of attacks that lasted for two days.
"He was probably three times the size of every coyote that he killed," Wierwille said. "He clearly outmatched them."
Wierwille said he found a total of eight coyote bodies and noted that he did not witness Casper kill every coyote.
"He came back to us in terrible shape after two days out, presumably still chasing after other coyotes, but his recovery is complete," he said. "He had physical trauma but also mental trauma."
Casper had to spend more than six weeks recovering at LifeLine Animal Clinic, including two weeks undergoing emergency care.
"Dr. Susan Brosman is a miracle worker and a saint of a person, and she and her staff were wonderful. All donations, gifts, and awards have always and will always go to LifeLine because Casper would not be here without them. They believed me when I told them over the phone that he had a will to live and he was worth every penny," Wierwille said.
He said his family believes their dog should win because Casper has proven he will "give his all" for the animals he guards.
"There are a lot of great dogs nominated for the People's Choice award," Wierwille said. "We think Casper deserves to win because he was, and is, so willing to give his all for the animals he protects. He is a lovely, gentle fellow most of the time, but he will do whatever it takes to get his job done and I think people resonate with that sort of loyalty and determination."
If Casper wins, Wierwille said his family will hang a plaque in the pup's dog house, get him some sort of bling for his collar, and take him out for his favorite treat—Wendy's hamburgers.
Casper and his flock
Meet the People's Choice Pup Contenders:
Casper—a Great Pyrenees from Georgia, known for fending off coyotes to protect his flock of sheep.
Trip—a Border Collie from Ohio, known for moving and managing livestock on the farm.
Margo—a Rottweiler from Indiana, known for being a great companion during long hours on the farm as well as sporting her bandana "uniform."
Morgan—a Bernese Mountain Dog from Idaho, known for watching over livestock, kids and the family ranch.
Cinco—a Border Collie from Utah, known for helping her family's dairy farm run smoothly.
You can cast your vote on the Farm Burau's website and the winner will be recognized at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in January 2024 and take home a cash prize of $1,000.
The five contenders for the award did not score high enough to advance in the overall Farm Dog of the Year contest, but "had interesting stories," Shearing said.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Maura Zurick is the Newsweek Weekend Night Editor based in Cleveland, Ohio. Her focus is reporting on U.S. national news ... Read more
