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Rancher Martin Wissner says a neighbor took his livestock guardian dog, Faith, from near his property to a Cheyenne shelter, mistaking her for a stray. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office has reminded the public not to pick up working guardian dogs in rural areas; officials and shelter staff say people should seek guidance rather than assume a dog needs rescuing.
Wyoming ranchers and the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office are urging people not to pick up livestock guardian dogs they see in rural areas after rancher Martin Wissner says a neighbor took his working dog Faith to a Cheyenne shelter, separating her from the sheep she was assigned to protect. The incident highlights how mistaken attempts to help can remove a rancher’s trained defense against predators and require time and money to resolve.
Faith, an Akbash, was guarding Wissner’s sheep on his ranch near Carpenter when she disappeared. The sheep were still on the other side of a fence, Wissner said. After calling around, he contacted animal control in Cheyenne and learned Faith had been dropped off at a shelter. According to Wissner, a neighbor had spotted her just outside a fence on his property, believed she was a stray and took her away.
Wissner said Faith wore a collar with a rabies tag and a halter with a plate listing his name, address and contact information. He drove about 30 miles to retrieve her and paid a fine, according to the report. He said the neighbor thought the dog looked malnourished, but an Akbash can appear leaner than some other large guardian breeds while remaining healthy.
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office issued a public reminder this week after receiving calls about people transporting livestock guardian dogs to shelters. “These are working dogs that live on open range,” the department said. Shelter manager Carey Sullivan of Paws for Life Animal League in Riverton told Cowboy State Daily that people have brought in guardian dogs after assuming they were lost. She said owners are often annoyed because the dogs have been taken away from their work.
A Missing Dog Leaves Livestock Exposed
For ranchers, a guardian dog is not simply a pet roaming unattended. It stays with livestock and watches for threats, including predators. If someone removes the dog, the animals lose a layer of protection while the owner works out where the dog has gone and how to get it back. Wissner said his dogs remain with livestock around the clock, year-round.
The consequences can extend beyond the immediate separation. Wissner described guardian dogs as costing about $1,000 and said it can take one to two years to teach a dog the boundaries of a property and ensure it is doing its job. That figure and training timeline are his account, but they illustrate why ranchers say replacing or recovering a working dog is not as simple as picking up another animal.
The issue also puts the public in a difficult position: a dog encountered away from a house may look lost or neglected, while it may actually be working on open range. Officials’ appeal is to avoid making that judgment by appearance alone and contact appropriate authorities for guidance.
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Guardian Dogs Work Alongside Herds
Livestock guardian dogs differ from herding dogs. Herding dogs move livestock between places; guardian dogs live with a flock or herd and are trained to watch over it and respond to threats. As the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office put it, these dogs may be working even when no rancher is nearby.
Wissner said unfamiliarity with the Akbash breed contributed to the misunderstanding in Faith’s case. He described Akbash dogs as active and capable of covering many miles while guarding livestock. Their lighter build, compared with breeds such as Great Pyrenees, can lead people unfamiliar with them to misread their condition.
Shelter procedures differ by community. Megan Manning, operations manager at The Pet Connection in Lander, told Cowboy State Daily that her shelter is usually at capacity and directs people with loose-dog concerns to contact law enforcement rather than bring an animal directly in. She said this allows authorities to assess whether a dog is lost or working.
“These are working dogs that live on open range.”
— Fremont County Sheriff’s Office
How Often Dogs Are Taken
The report gives no statewide count of guardian dogs mistakenly taken to shelters, and the sheriff’s office did not provide a number of calls or cases. Sullivan said the problem had happened “quite a bit” at her Riverton shelter, while Manning said she had not seen the same pattern in Lander. Those accounts describe local experience, not a measured trend across Wyoming.
It is also unclear from the report whether the neighbor who took Faith knew the dog had identifying tags or attempted to contact Wissner before bringing her to the shelter. The account of the incident comes from Wissner; the neighbor’s explanation is described through his account. The report does not state whether the sheriff’s office plans further outreach or changes to shelter procedures.
The immediate guidance from the sheriff’s office and shelter staff is to leave a suspected working dog where it is rather than load it into a vehicle or take it to a shelter. Manning’s account of Lander’s process points to an alternative: contact local law enforcement, which can help determine whether the dog is lost or working.
The sheriff’s office has issued a public reminder, but no additional campaign or formal policy change was described in the report. Ranchers and shelters may continue to share local guidance; meanwhile, the scale of the problem and whether the reminder will reduce removals remain unknown.
Key Questions
What happened to Martin Wissner’s dog Faith?
Wissner said a neighbor found Faith near a fence on his property, mistook her for a stray and took her to a Cheyenne shelter. He later retrieved her and paid a fine, according to the report.
What does a livestock guardian dog do?
A livestock guardian dog lives with a flock or herd and watches for predators. Unlike a herding dog, it is not primarily tasked with moving livestock from place to place.
What should someone do if they see a dog in ranch country?
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and shelter staff advise people not to assume a dog is a stray or take it to a shelter. Contact local law enforcement for guidance about a dog that appears lost or in danger.
How much training can a guardian dog need?
Wissner said it can take one to two years to teach a guardian dog the boundaries of a property and establish its work. That is his estimate, not a statewide standard cited in the report.
Source: cowboystatedaily.com
