Featured Animal

Gretl
Akbash (short coat)

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Joie Lee and her brother Spike came from rural Oklahoma. We're not sure what combination of breeds they may be. We have rescued other dogs from Oklahoma who look similar, one of whom was DNA tested and shown to be Great Pyrenees and Komondor. But Spike and Joie Lee are taller, which made us think they might be Akbash and Komondor. BUT these kids have a little bit of a wheat color to their coat, and both Akbash and Komondor should be all white, so the color makes us wonder whether they might be Pyrenees and Irish Wolfhound. Regardless of what's in their DNA, it appears that Spike and Joie Lee were raised around livestock, as they have been completely safe with our goats and sheep, and they have ignored our rescued roosters. They haven't been here long enough for us to know whether they have good guardian instincts, but they do definitely like to walk the perimeter of the pasture.

Spike and Joie Lee are somewhat skittish -- Joie Lee moreso than Spike. This also makes us think that they may have been raised with livestock, because many folks take a hands-off approach with their LGDs, resulting in dogs who are more comfortable with livestock than with humans.  Both dogs will allow me to pet them and scratch their tummies, but it's not always easy to get them to come to me, and they rarely seek me out for affection.

We think it might be better to separate this pair, because Spike seems to be a bit dominant in the relationship. We haven't been successful in keeping them separated during their time here because they will dig under the fence to find each other. Our hope is that if one goes to a new home, so that they are no longer on the same property where they can see, hear, and/or smell each other, then each dog will settle in to their new home.

We also think it's important for these dogs to go to a property with a hotwire at the bottom of the fencing to prevent them from digging. We don't know whether they BOTH dig, or just one digs and the other follows, but if we leave them in the pasture for more than a few hours, they will sometimes dig under the fence to go from one pasture to another. We don't want them to be able to dig under YOUR fence and leave your property, so you will need some type of deterrent to prevent digging -- hotwire or perhaps an invisible/underground fence.

If you are interested in meeting Spike or Joie Lee, please complete the application on our website at www.bluebonnetrescue.org.