The internet has fallen head-over-heels with a dog who takes her job as a livestock guardian very seriously—even climbing into their pen to check up on her friends.
Ronces the Great Pyrenees cross was born on the farm her owner, Jesse Hirsh, owns and has grown alongside the livestock she cares for.
"Ronces absolutely loves the animals she's been charged with protecting," Hirsh, 50, told Newsweek.
"From the time she was a puppy, she would go out of her way to kiss any goat, pig, duck, or chicken she could. She loves attention and affection, and no matter what response she gets in return, she keeps giving the love."
Hirsh has five dogs on his Ontario, Canada, farm, including Ronces' father and some siblings. He describes 1-year-old Ronces as "the most precocious by far."
Ronces has found fame on TikTok after multiple videos of her climbing into the goats' pen at night to check on them and see if they're up for playing went viral.
One such video, shared on September 18 to Hirsh's account @jessehirsh, shows Ronces checking on the kids in the morning. Security cameras catch her climbing over the stable door and landing among the goats.
Once there, she sniffs at the inhabitants, tail wagging furiously. And once they're all accounted for, she settles down in the hay.
"We have security cameras to monitor our animals, and we noticed a few months ago that she would regularly climb into other stalls to check on her friends. Sometimes she plays; other times she'll just go to sleep with them," Hirsh said.
TikTok users were in stitches at the video, which has over 40,000 views, while other clips of Ronces' adventures in the goat pen have millions of hits.
One user joked the goats were reacting as if to say: "Oh geez, who invited Gary to the party?"
"Awe, he just wants to be friends," another commenter said, while one joked: "Just doing the count. Yup all here!"
Hirsh admitted the goats are "a bit perplexed" by Ronces and could be a mixture of triggered, thanks to her similarity to a wolf or other predator, and "partly annoyed, because she can be pesty [like] a little sibling who loves their older siblings a bit too much."
"Yet when we all go for walks in the forest, they clearly appreciate her role in their security and protection," he added.
"Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to stop them from giving her the horns on occasion. Weirdly, she doesn't seem to mind. She's a bit of a daredevil when it comes to putting herself into harm's way."
Livestock guardian dogs must be independent, reliable, intelligent, and well-equipped to defend themselves from threats. According to the American Kennel Club, the Great Pyrenees is noted for its capability.
The AKC writes that the Pyrenees were used to guard livestock throughout the Roman Empire and still do so today, noted for their intelligent, patient and calm nature, while being able to guard livestock without human supervision.
Proud owner Hirsh said that before they had Ronces and her family members on their farm, "we would regularly be visited by bears, coyotes, foxes, and other predators."
"However, since Ronces and her family have been part of our family, we've had zero issues. They even scare away birds of prey who might target our birds," he said.
As for the huge love on TikTok for Ronces, Hirsh called it "a lot of fun."
"These dogs bring us so much joy that to be able to share that joy is a blessing. Dogs are social and emotional animals, which is why they're so happy, because they get to live with lots of friends and [have] the room to run around.
"Sharing this love on TikTok and getting lots of love in response is amazing."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
English (US) ·