9/20/2021: The newest addition to the family

In the past I have gone on record purporting a disdain for mammals (and I will continue to reserve the right to be extremely judgemental especially with those of the feline persuasion), but I do have a soft spot for some of our larger, hairier animal companions. As I move forward into the next phase of my life, I intend to manage a larger homestead on a future property. Needing more room for bugs and my lifestyle was an inevitability and I hope to be seriously looking into my next (and final) move next fall.

I am a firm believer in investigating the numerous, utilitarian, and sustainable solutions 12,000+ years of human agriculture have developed as a means to solve many of the agriculture and environmental problems facing humanity today. In my current locations, those take the shape of mammals that have readily adapted to suburban living: namely, coyotes, racoons, and deer (or as I prefer to call them, hoof-rats).

My yard is a half acre lot in a hold out light agricultural zone in an otherwise very suburbanized city. Many people on my block are thankful and awestruck by the slice of nature our larger yards and remnant woodlots support; deer, turkeys, owls, hawks, foxes, coyotes, and other flagship wildlife of Michigan’s forests are common sights here.

However, not everyone accepts the responsible approach to land management with these species. Vast lawns are the norm on most of the block, and I have butted heads with at least one neighbor over putting out excessive feed as a means of drawing in the hoof-rats (and standard rats) despite his apparent disdain for my floriferous and lawn-free landscape.

Thus despite the attractant being no more (for the time being…) the hoof-rats are still habituated to a forage route and have continued to ravage vegetation of all sorts as their numbers continue to grow.

The presence of deer and abundant prey has also appealed to coyotes, which have moved into the area for the first time since I moved in over four years ago. This winter alone I lost several poultry to coyotes and anecdotal evidence in the form of “missing dog” posters around the block and the absence of a once-present tiny yappy dog from a wildlife-baiting house down the street suggests they will continue to lurk.

I recognize and respect the role of coyotes and deer as native organisms in my region. However, the former are a direct threat to my livelihood and the latter (despite the coyotes) do not have a large enough predator extant to manage their ever-growing numbers on a finite amount of already degraded and mismanaged land.

Thus, to my Armenian roots I have returned. In past readings on landrace and livestock guardian breeds, I had heard of the Armenian gampr, a large, loyal, intimidating, and ancient landrace breed before, but I had figured due to the political climate of that part of the world and the relative obscurity of the breed it would be a long time before I was able to find one and wrote it off as something for later in life.

This was until I discovered that one of a handful of certified true Armenian gampr breeders was only an hour away from me! What started as a cursory investigation to see if these animals were a right fit for my expectations ended in bringing home my own gampr several weeks later.

Viktor, named after my deceased great uncle, will be undergoing careful guidance to mature into a self-sufficient and reliable livestock guardian dog for my outdoor projects. In addition to proactively keeping the coyotes away with his scent, sounds, and presence, he has been very effective (coupled with low fencing) in keeping the deer out of the yard. He is VERY teethy but has been extremely affectionate, goofy, and ruthlessly intelligent, having figured out how to open both household doors as well as the back screen at only 4 months old. I’m eager to watch him come into his own and hopefully with patience and good guidance, be a lifelong companion and working animal.

Helping him get settled in and keeping him occupied has gotten easier as I’ve learned some of his quirks and preferences, so more of my time will continue to free up for site work and other miscellaneous projects.

For those looking to learn more about the landrace breed, I cannot
recommend Gampr.org enough!

-Kyle