Standing at 6 feet tall and weighing a whopping 200 pounds, Yogi is a Caucasian ovcharka who thinks he’s a lap dog who’s been garnering a lot of attention online.
When stay-at-home mom Laura Murphy, 33, and her family, who live in Boston, Massachusetts, take Yogi for a walk, passersby turn to stare.
“People think we’re actually walking a lion or a bear or something,” Mrs. Murphy told the Epoch Times. “They stop their cars. They stop whatever they’re doing to ask, you know, ‘What is that? What is he? Can I have a picture?’”
Though Yogi and his breed—also known as Caucasian shepherds—surprise many people, the Murphy family knew exactly what they were getting into when they went through the extensive process of getting Yogi to the United States.
“Yogi, who will be 5 in July,” Mrs. Murphy said, “came overseas from Romania.”
The gentle giant, who was only 10 weeks old when he was welcomed into the Murphy’s home, had to take two flights—the first to France and the second to Boston.
In addition to the long voyage, the Murphys had to prove to the breeder that they were ready to take care of such a unique dog. Apart from proving that their home and yard had sufficient space for an animal the size of Yogi, they also had to show that they had a setup for training in place. If the above criteria weren’t met, Mrs. Murphy said, “they would just move on to somebody else who shows that they’re more serious with the breed.”
However, the Murphy family successfully underwent the grueling process of getting Yogi across international borders. They'd been looking at this particular breed for quite a while after having owned various other breeds of dog previously. Caucasian ovcharka have a reputation for being good family dogs that can also work well on a farm and have strong guarding instincts. These were all characteristics that stood out for the family.
After extensive research, they found a breeder from Romania.
Yogi, who has been with the family for almost five years now, has grown deep bonds with each of them but shares a rather special and unique bond with Mrs. Murphy’s husband, Brayden Murphy, a 32-year-old plumber, and their third son, Donovan, who has grown up alongside Yogi.
Yogi’s favorite activity includes wrestling with Mr. Murphy when he gets home from work.
“To other people, he might sound scary the way he talks and growls,” Mrs. Murphy said. “But he’s just being playful, and I just love seeing them jumping around and wrestling each other.”
Yogi’s silly antics have not only endeared him to his family, but he’s also grabbed the attention of millions around the world through social media. Sharing about one of his videos that went viral, Mrs. Murphy said: “It was a video of Yogi getting up on the couch, and he kind of lay down on my oldest son, who was on a nice blanket, ... and I had to pull my son up from underneath him. … he had no idea what he was doing and that he was lying on top of my son.”
Even though Yogi weighs 200 pounds, he still loves to cuddle up to his family, and the Murphys absolutely love it too.
“He still thinks he’s so small that he’s not going to completely crush us with his weight,” Mrs. Murphy said. “I just embrace it because I think it’s so funny, and I love that he wants to be with us because they’re so independent. ”
Mrs. Murphy really savors every memory with Yogi and enjoys documenting his antics.
“Every day is a happy memory with him,” she said. “I hope we have many more happy years with him.”
Though Yogi’s videos have received as many as 20 million views, there are much deeper and more meaningful reasons why the Murphys adore their “big teddy bear” so much.
According to Mrs. Murphy, Yogi takes his job as a guard dog seriously. He enjoys protecting the family and house and ensures that they are safe by helping keep potential intruders, such as squirrels, coyotes, and bunnies, off the property.
“I know that we’re safe with him as long as he’s in the house,” Mrs. Murphy said. “I think the whole neighborhood is safe as long as he’s around.”
For the most part, Yogi is very friendly and happy when he greets the Murphys’ extended family. But when he sees delivery men, he scares them with his height by jumping out of the window.
“I’ve had a couple of guys fall on their butts,“ Mrs. Murphy said. ”Just not expecting to see that large of an animal jump out the window like that.”
Yogi has also been a part of some precious family moments with the Murphys.
When Mrs. Murphy was pregnant with her fourth son, Lehan, Yogi stayed close to her and seemed to know she was carrying a baby.
“When I brought my son, Lehan, home at just a few days old, [Yogi] immediately bonded to him and would whine at me anytime my son made the slightest noise because he wanted me to check on him right away,” Mrs. Murphy said. “After my son suddenly and unexpectedly passed away, Yogi still checked his crib every so often and whined, his head meeting the top of the crib because he’s so tall on all fours. He could easily see inside and saw that Lehan was no longer here. I have seen him grieve right along with us.”
For anyone looking to get a dog like Yogi, Mrs. Murphy suggests learning about the grooming and training needs of the breed as their rarity makes it hard for a lot of groomers to work with them.
“We had a trainer that worked with Yogi,” Mrs. Murphy said. “Luckily she gave him a chance because he was a puppy.”
Moreover, since Mrs. Murphy is a stay-at-home mom, she’s been able to spend a lot of time with Yogi.
“They are territorial guard dogs, great with family if handled properly but must be in the right setting to thrive,” she said. “They take their jobs as guard dogs very seriously and are unlike typical guard dogs.
