Dogs

Meet our livestock guardians!

Livestock guardians are animals - typically dogs, llamas and donkeys - that are bred for the purpose of protecting livestock (farm animals) from predators. At Hope & Serenity Farm, all of our livestock guardians are dogs (all of our white dogs pictured below!). Livestock guardians work all night to protect our animals from coyotes and foxes, which is why they seem very tired during the day.

Livestock guardians are very expensive and not all sanctuaries can afford to purchase them but we have blessed to have been gifted three of our livestock guardians from a sister sanctuary. Trooper and Lorelei guard the goats, pigs and sheep while Finley and Bridget take turns guarding the geese and ducks.

  • Great Pyrenees, b. 2014

    Frosty came from a farm that was closing down because their owners were moving out of state. Frosty takes her job as a guardian very seriously and although she is now retired, she can still be seen patrolling the sanctuary borders. Frosty is very sweet and absolutely loves attention from visitors.

    Sponsored by Emmie

  • Italian Maremma, b. Dec 2021

    Lorelei is one of our newest livestock guardians. She is named for the incredibly generous owner of Ranger’s Rescue who gifted her to us along with Trooper and Scout. Lorelei adjusted immediately to life at H&S. Like all of our dogs, she loves attention, but is often too busy working to relax for pets. Her favorite activity is getting as muddy as possible and then jumping all over you.

    Sponsored by Colleen Bair, Erica Rychwalski, and Jennifer Littau

  • Italian Maremma, b. Dec 2021

    Bridget is Lorelei’s sister as they are from the same litter. She was originally with another family but then we were blessed with the opportunity to have her join our family. She was a mischievous puppy who loves rough housing and getting as dirty as possible. Now however, she has grown into a calm sweet girl who is the least likely of the dogs to do anything mischievous!

    Sponsored by Gaylle Ostrom, Kaitlin Pena, Beth DeAngelo, and Elizabeth Christensen.

  • Rescue Breed, b. 2014

    Ivy was originally owned by a chicken farmer with the hopes of training Ivy to guard the chickens. Unfortunately, Ivy was more interested in chasing them then guarding them and her owner eventually began to neglect her, often times leaving her outside with no bedding or protection from the freezing cold. She was picked up as a stray and sent to the animal hospital where Renee worked so many times, eventually her owner refused to pick her up and Renee took Ivy home.

    Ivy has a sassy personality and is now a working dog at H&S, patrolling the grounds, keeping predators at bay and the animals in line. She is easily distracted by loves so it is advised not to pet her while she is working.

    Sponsored by Ellen Heier

  • Rescue Breed, b. 2007

    Smokey belonged to the landlord of a farm Renee used to rent. When the landlord moved, they left without Smokey and unofficially made him the responsibility of neighboring renters who didn’t want him and therefore, neglected him. He used to visit Renee every day and she decided to take him in permanently. Smokey and Ivy are the most visible of the dogs as their territory covers the entire farm, unlike the livestock guardians who typically work in the fenced in areas of the farm. Smokey is the unofficial greeter and mascot of the farm. He is very friendly and loves attention so if you see him, he will welcome pets and hugs!

    Sponsored by Peggy Spiteri, Robyn Nelson, and Ashley Norman

  • Great Dane b. June 2022

    Renee is a lover of Great Danes so when she heard of a Great Dane puppy who needed a home, she didn’t hesitate to snatch him up. Monty traveled all the way from Michigan to his new home at H&S. He is surprisingly calm for a puppy, is very friendly and never lets Renee out of his sight.

    Sponsored by Christopher Sprinkle

  • Italian Maremma, b. 2020

    Scout was gifted to us by Ranger’s Rescue, another animal sanctuary, as a thank you to H&S for helping them with the rescue of three pregnant pigs, which resulted in the birth of seventeen piglets. Scout is the most playful of the guardians and can sometimes become distracted while looking for someone to love on. He is not assigned to any particular area of the farm as a permanent guardian yet but Renee has high hopes for him.

    Sponsored by Brianna

  • Trooper, like Scout, was gifted to H&S by Ranger’s Rescue. He is very playful and affectionate and works hard at guarding his herd. He and Lorelei are always working, day and night, although Trooper will always make time for quality time. He is at the front of the paddock in the morning, ready to greet the first volunteers of the day.

    Sponsored by Robyn Thomson, Holly Neyland, and Holly Flowers

  • Great Pyrenees, b. 2019

    Finley was surrendered to a local animal shelter for being aggressive to other dogs. Because of that, no one was adopting him and he was in the shelter for an extremely long time. When Renee found out about him, she immediately brought him home to H&S with the intention of rehabilitating and rehoming him. The rehabilitation was successful: he no longer has a fear of other dogs (which is what was causing the aggression in the first place) and is now a giant teddy bear around dogs and people alike.

    As far as rehoming him goes, it has been decided that H&S will be Finley’s forever home where he gets to roam and play all day. Careful: If you make eye contact with him, he will roll over and demand a belly rub!

    Sponsored by Cora Martin and Jill Jansen.