FARM DOG redefined
Contest winners represent a full range of Rover resumes
Story by Caitlin Fillmore ∞ Photos by Tomas Ovalle
Herding, guarding, comforting, securing. The title of “working dog” on the farm or ranch expands to fit the needs of the operation—much like the reality of being a farmer. And the winners of California Farm Bureau’s third annual Farm Dog of the Year Contest truly embody the spectrum of work these dogs complete every day on their farms and ranches. With support from Nationwide, the contest asked Farm Bureau members to submit photos and a brief story about their beloved canine. The Grand Prize winner earned $1,000, with the first, second and third runners-up receiving $500, $250 and $100, respectively. Loyal, diligent, affectionate and joyful, the dogs inspired a terrific story for each contestant to tell. The following is the story of the Grand Prize winners: a pair of mischievous brothers whose serendipitous second chance revealed their true family and purpose. Tulare County, we have a problem Tricia Stever Blattler remembers Zack Stuller coming into her office, fuming with a persistent problem. Stever Blattler, executive director of the Tulare County Farm Bureau, listened to Stuller describe the repetitive crime happening at his Exeter ranch of nearly 3,000 acres of row crops, citrus, stone fruit and tree nuts. Stuller experienced 14 burglaries in a few years, including one truck being stolen three times and nine catalytic converters taken off trucks in broad daylight. He had tried everything to deter nighttime thefts, including security systems, fences, alarms and even a night guard. Stuller came to Stever Blattler and discussed some last-resort advice, courtesy of local law enforcement. “Get some big dogs to run around the equipment yard and scare off burglars,” Stever Blattler recalls saying. “Well, I had the perfect dogs!” Problem solvers Stever Blattler volunteers with a Labrador retriever rescue program and has fostered more than 130 dogs. In 2022, two gangly puppies came into her care: Waylon and Willie. The brothers were found in an impoverished
area of Tulare County and ended up in the county’s overpopulated shelter. The dogs had few socialization skills and were scared of everyday things like leashes, she remembers. After some DNA testing, it turned out the brothers were not actually Labs but a mix of 49% Great Pyrenees and 46% Doberman Pinscher. Five months of fostering came and went, and Stever Blattler had received zero interest in adopting these big, boisterous boys. Stuller also remembers the day he learned about Waylon and Willie. “I asked Tricia, knowing she is a dog expert, if she could keep her eyes out for preferably two dogs that could guard at night but not eat my employees during the day. Her response was, ‘When can I drop them off?’” After a few meet-and-greets and an extensive building project, in which Stuller constructed a lavish headquarters for his new “ag security personnel” complete with a heated and insulated doghouse, sandbox, artificial turf and permanent shade cover, Waylon and Willie moved in. Stever Blattler’s hunch was right: The brothers immediately adapted to their role guarding the ranch shop and surrounding land, all night, every night. Today, more than a year later, there have been no thefts. “They are perfect for the ranch shop. They do not sleep at all once the sun goes down and bark at just about everything: slow-moving cars, people jogging by, bugs, the wind,” Stuller says. “If you met them, you would probably say there is not an aggressive bone in their body. But a bad guy at midnight meeting two, 150-pound dogs standing over 6 feet tall on their back legs with a bark as loud as a freight train might be persuaded otherwise.” ‘Good’ boys At night, the boys have been caught on camera chasing away potential lurkers and carefully scanning the landscape from atop vehicles parked on the ranch. Stuller reports they have earned their biscuits, but the journey hasn’t necessarily been smooth. “Yes, they are good dogs. They are gentle giants,” Stuller begins, before explaining, “They are not normal dogs.”
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