Today’s Situation
We are often asked why there are so many Great Pyrenees in shelters and rescues. Great Pyrenees are classified as “livestock guardian dogs” or LGDs. Traditional agricultural societies teamed shepherds with their dogs and flocks. The dogs lived in close proximity with their owners and the animals they cared for. This has changed over time and in the U.S. conditions have seriously deteriorated over the past 20 years. This breed has been overbred and under socialized, underfed and neglected on large ranches and farms or with uncaring backyard breeders. Selling puppies has been touted as a way for modern homesteaders to make money—and when they can’t, pups are dumped in shelters or set loose on the road. Our Intake Director Susan Innamorato is one of the rescuers interviewed by Modern Farmer magazine who reports on this disturbing trend for livestock guardian breeds.
The dogs often come into rescue in terrible shape, unable to do the guarding work expected of them. Pyr rescuers are seriously challenged by the large number of dogs and the terrible condition we are seeing them in. Our goal is to rehabilitate these dogs by providing medical care, spaying/neutering, socialization, obedience training and forever homes. Rehabilitated Great Pyrenees gentle giants make wonderful family members. The vast majority of our rescues are adopted as companion animals who are happiest living with their human families and other household pets. Is a Pyr for me? Visit our Know the Breed page to find out.
History
Whether you subscribe to the theory that Pyrs are descended from the Tibetan Mastiff or an ancient Sumerian breed since their appearance in Europe between 1800 and 1000 BC, the fact is that this is one of the oldest livestock guardian dog breeds. For hundreds of years Great Pyrenees have been bred to think independently, whether guarding livestock for ancient Roman soldier encampments or estates in 17th Century France.
Pyrs were used to guard sheep and goats, particularly at night when they stood guard alone, in the Basque region of the Pyrenees Mountains along the border of France and Spain, where they got their name. Their noble bearing made them a favorite at the French court of Louis XIV in Versailles.
General Lafayette brought the first pair to America in 1824 as a gift for a friend. They are sometimes described as having a “bear-like” head since the profile of the large head has a gradual slope to the muzzle (like that of a bear), rather than an angular “stop.” Mary Crane re-introduced the breed to America in 1931 and her kennel Basquaerie was registered with the American Kennel Club in 1933.
To understand more about the use of Pyrs as livestock guardian dogs and see a brief history of the breed, view our “History of Great Pyrenees” presentation in PDF format.
Recommended Reading
A New Owner’s Guide to Great Pyrenees, by Kim Lasley (TFH Publications, 2001).
Great Pyrenees (Kennel Club Dog Breed Series), by Juliette Cunliffe (Kennel Club Books, 2004).
Great Pyrenees (Complete Pet Owner’s Manuals), by Joan Hustace Walker (Barron’s Educational Series, 1999).
Livestock Protection Dogs: Selection, Care, and Training, by Orysia Dawydiak & David E. Sims (Alpine Blue Ribbon Books; 2nd edition, 2004).
