Livestock Dog Takes His Duties A Little Too Seriously When In 'Guard Mode'

A sheepdog's overly protective tendencies have gone viral in a video by his owner, who told Newsweek why the animal appears to take his livestock guard duties too seriously.

The footage, which had been shared to TikTok by @younghomestead on April 25, shows Huck the Maremma sheepdog sitting directly on top of a pregnant goat named Molly, much to the amusement of viewers.

The animals live together on a homestead in Alberta which is headed by Jules Warner, who has been documenting life on the "little farm" she owns with her family for some time through short social media clips. But it was Huck that propelled her account to the attention of thousands online, with the video amassing over 550,000 views to date.

"Huck chose to stand over top of one of our very pregnant goats, Molly," Warner told Newsweek.

"She's always been Huck's favorite goat, probably because they're about the same size and they can snuggle up really well."

The Warner family of four has embraced homesteading as a self-sufficient lifestyle, raising goats for milking and employing Maremma sheepdogs like Huck and his companion Haskap to protect their livestock.

These dogs are essential for keeping potential predators at bay, often deterring them with their formidable presence and bark before any threat can materialize.

"We homestead as a way to provide for ourselves," Warner explained.

"We have a small herd of goats for milking and we have livestock guardian dogs that live with them full-time. They're both Maremma sheepdogs and it's their job to protect the goats from predators. Mostly their work is preemptive, so when they hear animals in the area, Huck and Haskap bark at them to deter them from even coming onto our property."

"Livestock guardian dogs are brought up alongside the herd they'll be protecting so from the time they get brought to our farm as puppies, they live with the goats and get trained up to be their guardians," she added.

The affectionate nature of Huck's guarding may seem excessive, but it reflects the dog's instinctive drive to protect his flock. The Maremma breed are native to Northern Italy, were they were put to work herding livestock.

Despite Huck's overzealous guarding style, the online community has embraced him warmly, and the video has been liked more than 56,000 times.

Huck appears unfazed by the discomfort of sitting atop a goat in the video, despite Molly's horns poking at him. The caption humorously notes, "sometimes Huck gets a little too in your face when he's in guard mode," followed by, "our livestock guardian dog, Huck. I don't think he realizes he can guard from a distance."

Warner recounted the moment she caught the pair together. "I was in the barn doing final checks for the night on our pregnant goats," she said.

"I wanted to see if anyone looked like they were close to starting labor, when I noticed Huck standing overtop of Molly and I recorded it so I could send it to my partner, and then Huck sat down still overtop of her and he just stayed there even though he must have been uncomfortable with her horns digging into him."

"I thought maybe he could sense that she was going to start labor soon but it's been days since then already and she still hasn't had her babies so he must have just really wanted a cuddle with his favorite goat," she added.

The video shares the lighter side of farming life and the unexpected moments that can bring joy and laughter to animal owners.

"I can't blame them," Warner said, of the TikTok-ers gushing over Huck in the post's comments section.

"He has such a good heart and the cutest squishy face."

"I would pay Huck the BIG money to guard me," one user had commented.

Another user added: "What a sweet boy."

As Molly continues to await the arrival of her babies, Huck remains ever vigilant, proving that sometimes, a little too much love is just enough.

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