Two big dogs walk with a herd of cattle on the Rita Blanca National Grasslands in the Texas Panhandle. Their job is keeping predators off the calves. Their side project might be saving the rarest fox in the state.
Researchers at Texas A&M AgriLife want to know whether livestock guardian dogs change how coyotes use the land. Haley Sloan, a doctoral student in rangeland and wildlife management, says only 40 to 50 percent of the shortgrass prairie is left, and the taller vegetation in the gaps gives coyotes cover. Coyote predation is a leading cause of death for swift foxes, which number fewer than 250 in Texas and stand about as tall as a house cat, according to phys.org.
The theory is that a guardian dog fills the role of a larger predator, pushing coyotes off ground the foxes need. Foxes, coyotes and dogs all wear GPS collars for three years, so nobody is claiming a result yet. The pair already have the hard part down, since breeds built for work fall apart without it.
Bill Costanzo, the livestock guardian dog specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, trained them and had to rewrite the usual bonding routine, because these dogs were paired with cattle rather than sheep. So far the producer has not lost a calf.
What this means for your dog: near grazing land, a livestock guardian dog is not a pet having a bad day. It is at work, often alone with stock, bred to make its own decisions about threats. Give the herd a wide berth, keep your dog leashed and close, do not approach to say hello, and do not read a wagging tail as an invitation. On a fall hike, check the map first and turn around rather than squeeze past a working dog.