Meet the 110-pound dog devoted to protecting Christmas turkeys.
Bear, a Maremma sheepdog, spends day and night from April to December looking out for a flock of the festive birds.
Farmer George Ford, 34, prides himself on letting his turkeys live outside year-round—which he calls “beyond free range.”
But this setup requires protection from predators—which is provided by Bear, who acts as a guard dog.
“Bear was in with the birds basically as soon as we got him as a puppy,” said Mr. Ford, who runs Nempnett Pasture in Somerset, UK.
“We didn’t even really have to train him—it’s kind of innate. He just built that bond with them straight away and stays outside with them the whole year round.
“The only problem we had was, occasionally, right at the start, he’d run around with one in his mouth.
“But he would never kill one of them—he’s very well-behaved.”
The turkeys, which have now been slaughtered, sell for between 60 and 140 pounds.
“We sell out every year. We reared 640 this year and only have 100 left, and we are expanding our numbers each year,” said Mr. Ford, a sixth-generation farmer.
“Our previous ‘free-range’ model required the turkeys to be shut away safely in a barn at night, and their range soon became overgrazed and turned to mud.
“We now think keeping them out and moving regularly to fresh pasture is a much better way of doing it.”
Bear was recently joined by another canine companion—Holly.
She is also a Maremma, and the two dogs now split their duties.
The doggy pair live with Mr. Ford’s flock of chickens from April to August and are then split up when the turkeys arrive in summer.
“It’s nice to see. I didn’t like it at the start when Bear was on his own, so it was really good for him to have Holly for company,” the farmer said.
Mr. Ford’s farm was previously focused on intensive pig farming—which he says he “hated.”
“Our pork production was very intensive, and I couldn’t get passionate about it. We had to lock the sheds up because we dreaded anyone seeing it,” he said.
“I wanted to do something that I am happy and proud to show the world.”
Bear has become popular on social media because he looks cute—but Mr. Ford says his innocent appearance can be misleading.
“They are so loyal to us and love my family, but if anyone else walked down there Bear would be a completely different dog,” he said.
“He’d be up barking and baring his teeth. It’s quite scary. If he doesn’t know you, good luck to you.”
