Sometimes instincts to help have the opposite effect, even in rescuing animals. The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office issued an advisory on Wednesday concerning well-intended people taking sheep dogs from their post while on duty. According to Sheriff Mike Lowell, large dogs often seen alone in fields are believed to be abandoned or dumped but that is often not the case. These large dogs are often on the clock working the rounds as professional sheep dogs. Last week, a male Great Pyrenees was picked up east of Rock Springs and brought in to the animal shelter. County Animal Control Officer Chris Thomas explains: “People pick these dogs up and bring them in with the best of intentions, but once these dogs are removed from their working environment and brought into town, they quickly lose their herding skills and their owners usually don’t want them back. It creates a serious problem.” Officials are asking those that encounter large dogs in remote areas to not pick them up or feed them but to note their location and notify the Sheriff’s Office. Animal control officers can go assess the situation and decide if action needs to be taken.
