Casper, a dog of the Pyrenean Mountain Dog breed, was seriously injured after facing eight coyotes to save the sheep of his flock.
John Wierwille and his family are urban shepherds in Atlanta, the capital of Georgia (USA). On Thursday night (3), they saw about 11 coyotes on their property. The animals ran away after the family threw stones at them, but by Friday morning (4), they were back.
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When Wierwille approached the fence, Casper went after the coyotes to protect his flock. “It was crazy for about 20 to 30 minutes as he ran. You could hear the fight happening, but I couldn’t really see,” he said.
As it was very dark, he ran back to his house to get a flashlight. He could hear the fight continue and heard Casper get hurt, but he couldn’t find him with just the flashlight in the dark.
Wierwille went back to also get a broom in case he needed to defend himself from a coyote, but he couldn’t find Casper. “Part of it happened right on the edge of the pasture. He killed three of them very quickly,” he recalled. In total, Casper killed eight coyotes.
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“Normally, the coyotes would just leave. This is not how they usually behave. Honestly, I think it had everything to do with them being in a larger group than usual. We’ve never seen them act like this before.”
Casper, aged 1 year and 8 months, was only found a few days later, on Sunday (6). According to Wierwille, he was in a terrible state when they found him. “He looked like something out of a zombie movie.”
His right eye was filled with blood, and he had several open wounds caused by the coyotes’ bites. Wierwille wasn’t sure at the time how Casper was still alive. But, Casper’s injuries did not affect him, and he was happy to see his family.
Wierwille and his daughter began working immediately, cleaning Casper with water and soap and trimming his fur. “That’s when I realized he was seriously injured. He withstood all of it. He didn’t try to run away. He let us clean him,” Wierwille recounted.
After cleaning Casper, Wierwille began looking for a vet to take Casper and care for him. He took him to a local vet and got much-needed medicine, but he needed more care and the cost was too high.
So, they took Casper home, made a makeshift dressing, and kept calling veterinary clinics. Wierwille managed to get in touch with the LifeLine Animal Project, which stepped in to take care of Casper.
“Casper is currently at the Community Center Clinic. He is doing well, but the wounds require daily care,” said Tracy Thompson, director of the LifeLine Animal Project shelter. “He was at the [veterinary clinic] for almost two weeks. The initial prognosis was extremely cautious.”
As soon as Casper gets home, he will likely need 24-hour care. Wierwille said several neighbors have offered to help when Casper gets home and that he is learning to treat his injuries.
