One June day I came home to find Mira barking nonstop. Philip came outside just as I pulled up, and he and I started walking down to see what was wrong. At first, we thought the horses might be too close to the sheep's pen. (Mira, after months of living near them, still mistrusts horses.) As we got closer we could see that there were no horses in sight. Rather, the problem was that a big section of the electric fence was down. Expecting to have to find and round up the flock, Philip ran ahead, and I got a bucket of feed. When we got to the pen, though, we found the flock was all there; none but Mira realized that the fence was down. Mira knew that we needed to know that the fence was out of commission and she was barking to alert us to a situation she considered threatening to the sheep. As soon as Philip arrived on the scene, she stopped barking. I was really impressed with her intelligence, to equate a down fence with danger and to know to call us, and still a pup just shy of 8 months! The genes are strong, and the instinct is intact, despite our socializing her more than most people would... That is just one of several stories I could tell about our Karakachan Dog. She is the first LGD we have owned, so we are learning a lot about this type of dog in general, but have so far been really impressed with the strength of her instinctive desire to be part of a group of small animals, like sheep or goats. She is happy as a clam to be with the sheep for long stretches, and she is well-adjusted enough to be allowed to roam the farm freely at times, as well. She is intelligent, alert, and protective. She is also a healthy and physically beautiful animal, and, like her parents, possessive of a grace and athleticism surprising for her size.

Christy Shivell

Shy Valley Farm