Sentry, Baymule’s Livestock Guard Dog

[baymule]

It’s a drizzly day. I had 2 rows ready in the garden for planting English peas. I left BJ, Sentry and Carson in the house, ran out and got my English peas planted. These dogs have it rough.

Carson always sleeps in the weirdest positions.

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Sentry clearly thinks the lights are too bright. Turn off the lamp!

​

 

[baymule]

A friend on BYH asked how Sentry is doing this morning. My answer;

He healed up and is able to go hang out with the other dogs and guard sheep. He runs, plays, but is definitely crippled. He rests the leg when standing and it just sorta dangles. His other hip joint is bad too, but I'm thinking that if we have it operated on, he won't have a good leg to stand on. We didn't have his shoulders x-rayed, but I think they are also compromised. Just watching his gait, the way he stands and the way he struggles to stand from laying down, this poor dog truly is a train wreck.

In the meantime, he loves me with all his heart and then some. He follows me, keeps me in his line of sight and lays at my feet at night in the living room. He watches the sheep, he runs the front fence with the other dogs, chasing off garbage trucks, kids on bikes, truck and trailers, motorcycles and other monsters that threaten the Dog Kingdom. He is a happy dog.

I have been observing him closely. In my opinion, his skeletal structure is so bad, that no amount of "fixing it" will ever make him right. The operation he had bought him some time. Literally it bought time for him and for us to love him. I would do the same thing in a heartbeat. I will not put him through another surgery.

He spends the night on a dog bed on the screened in porch, it is where he chooses to be. He and Carson eat in the kitchen, BJ feeds the dogs. By evening, he is exhausted. Living life at full speed takes a lot out of a compromised dog, but I won't take that away from him. He is sleeping on the porch now, waiting on me to go outside and do chores. I don't allow the dogs in with the horses, mainly because Prince likes to play and would probably hurt them. Prince is such a butt...… If he were to kick Sentry, it would more than likely be life ending. Sentry, true to his name, waits patiently at the gate until I come back out. I've been letting Joe and Pearl graze the yard and Sentry follows them, guarding them, especially Joe.

I passionately love this dog and it is slowly tearing me apart to have to come to the decision to not "save" him, but quietly and lovingly let him go when the time comes. I will not prolong his agony. I watch him go about his daily life, being a dog and living his life to the fullest. I do not regret the first surgery, but there will not be another one.​

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I know you're giving him the best life that he can have. He's lucky to be your dog!

 

[Chic Rustler]

A friend on BYH asked how Sentry is doing this morning. My answer;

He healed up and is able to go hang out with the other dogs and guard sheep. He runs, plays, but is definitely crippled. He rests the leg when standing and it just sorta dangles. His other hip joint is bad too, but I'm thinking that if we have it operated on, he won't have a good leg to stand on. We didn't have his shoulders x-rayed, but I think they are also compromised. Just watching his gait, the way he stands and the way he struggles to stand from laying down, this poor dog truly is a train wreck.

In the meantime, he loves me with all his heart and then some. He follows me, keeps me in his line of sight and lays at my feet at night in the living room. He watches the sheep, he runs the front fence with the other dogs, chasing off garbage trucks, kids on bikes, truck and trailers, motorcycles and other monsters that threaten the Dog Kingdom. He is a happy dog.

I have been observing him closely. In my opinion, his skeletal structure is so bad, that no amount of "fixing it" will ever make him right. The operation he had bought him some time. Literally it bought time for him and for us to love him. I would do the same thing in a heartbeat. I will not put him through another surgery.

He spends the night on a dog bed on the screened in porch, it is where he chooses to be. He and Carson eat in the kitchen, BJ feeds the dogs. By evening, he is exhausted. Living life at full speed takes a lot out of a compromised dog, but I won't take that away from him. He is sleeping on the porch now, waiting on me to go outside and do chores. I don't allow the dogs in with the horses, mainly because Prince likes to play and would probably hurt them. Prince is such a butt...… If he were to kick Sentry, it would more than likely be life ending. Sentry, true to his name, waits patiently at the gate until I come back out. I've been letting Joe and Pearl graze the yard and Sentry follows them, guarding them, especially Joe.

I passionately love this dog and it is slowly tearing me apart to have to come to the decision to not "save" him, but quietly and lovingly let him go when the time comes. I will not prolong his agony. I watch him go about his daily life, being a dog and living his life to the fullest. I do not regret the first surgery, but there will not be another one.

so sorry bay. I know it must be heart breaking.

 

[baymule]

so sorry bay. I know it must be heart breaking.

Yes it is. We would love to keep him with us, but have to weigh up the cost to him. It is not only a financial decision, but a quality of life decision. At this point, it would be more cruel to keep operating on him, trying to save him, than it will be to love him enough to let him go when it becomes time.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

1000x what Bee says. Oh how often I see affection and love expressed in completely selfish ways on some other forums I visit. You are doing your best to give Sentry a happy ending to a good life.

 

[flowerbug]

Thank you for introducing us to Sentry @baymule! We look forward to seeing more of him - congrats, he's featured on our homepage!

same here! i'm hoping for many more years of interesting stories. i think he's already shown he's a character of the notable sort.

plus it is often those who are challenged which have to figure out how to do things in smarter ways to get by while everyone else can just skate along and not notice. i consider each of them kindred spirits. we do what we can, we may be crafty, if you pay attention you might learn something, etc.

 

[Beekissed]

Bay, you are his job! That's sweet...and could also run into problems....but still nice that he feels fulfilled in his capacity as a LGD by having something to watch over. I'm so very glad he has adapted as well as he has to his physical hindrances. And this is a job that shouldn't put too much stress on those joints, so it's a win/win.

I bet he's really getting big! Got any recent pics or did I miss those if you posted them recently?

 

[baymule]

He still watches the sheep, as well as me. LOL Today I took some pullets out of the brooder and put them in a coop. Sentry was involved in the process, watching me catch them and put them in a small cage for transporting them to the coop. He went in the coop, checking everything out, then laid down next to the coop while I put the pullets in the coop.

 

[Mini Horses]

He's a lovely combination of color & markings. Looks like there might be a little boxer in the mix. Carson, that boy is so black he just melts into the shadows....