# Got time for a story?



## Batt (Sep 8, 2006)

This morning about 4:30 I got woken up by Batt our 8 y/o GP barking right outside our bedroom window. I was thinking what?? As soon as I turned on the light he quit barking. After getting dressed and going outside, he met me at the back door and followed me all the way to the barn. Sure enough, there was a problem. The silly goats had somehow managed to get the door to their room open and were all over the center part of the barn. They had knocked over a stack of hay bales and just generally looked like they had a party. They had not gone anywhere else. Apparently they didn't want to get their little hoovsies in that nasty snow. Every body went right back into their room as soon as I showed up including Batt.

GP's are such thinking dogs. He came right to our bedroom window and just stood there barking till he woke us up. Unless there is a problem requiring thumbs he will handle it. Gotta love 'em.


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

Good story. Thanks for sharing.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I guess he didn't like things out of order. What a clever dog.


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## redgate (Sep 18, 2008)

Since we are on stories...

Athena is our first LGD, and we thought we got her to protect our animals from fox and coyote. Although she will bark at strange people, she has never threatened to bite, and in fact is quite social and friendly. 

When she was about 14 months old, she turned me into a true believer of what the LGD is capable of. Our goat pen, where she stays at night, is tucked back into the woods behind our house. Around 11 one night, she started a strange, very aggressive bark I had never heard before. I grabbed a flashlight and headed out to check on things. When she saw me, she calmed down, but clearly something was up. The donkeys in the pen next to the goats were happily munching their hay, so I knew if it was predator it couldn't be too big because they weren't concerned. The goats however, who should've been nicely tucked into their straw beds at that hour, were pacing and very restless. And that bark....hmm...I shone my light around the woods, saw nothing, and headed back inside and went to bed. 

About 2:00 that morning, I awoke to find hubby gone from bed. I listened, heard Athena barking that strange, frightening, very aggressive bark again, and then heard hubby come inside, head downstairs, and call the police. I got up. Before I could talk to him, our woods were crawling with sheriffs deputies wielding spotlights and shotguns. 

Long story, short, 2 sleepless hours later, the deputies had rounded up 4 trouble-seeking young adults. Their truck was parked at the end of our driveway, at least one was drunk, and the others had been in our woods, near the goat pen if Athena is to be believed. Interestingly, she never once barked at all the deputies back there. It's as though she knew they were OK, but the first folks were not. Based on past history of our area and the few details the deputies got out of the drunk guy, I firmly believe they were occult-wanna-be's seeking their first goat to murder. I have no doubt Athena saved my goats that night. What really creeps me out though, is that I am quite confident they were in the woods, close by, when I went out to check on the animals at 11. The donkeys wouldn't have been scared of people, but it would totally explain the goats' restlessness at that hour. Within 2 weeks, my hubby had me down at the shooting range for some gun handling lessons, and told me to take the pistol next time that happened. I listen when Athena talks now.


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## farmerstac (Mar 16, 2005)

Glad to hear everything turn out ok and your husband has you practice shooting.


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## Batt (Sep 8, 2006)

farmerstac said:


> Glad to hear everything turn out ok and your husband has you practice shooting.


I second that!!

I don't know about other breeds of LGD, but it seems as if GP's have different barks for different problems. If you listen close enough you can almost figure out what they are trying to say.


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