I go to Silverton to find the bands of sheep and the great white guardian dogs. When lucky enough to find them, I spend several hours with the herds, taking photos. If the dogs bark, I stop and allowed them to sniff me. After a few moments, they ignored me, and I continued taking photos. More often, however, they have come toward me with wagging tails. Educating the public to respect the livestock guardian dogs, rather than fearing them, is the best way to avoid conflicts. If the public thinks of the dogs as protective rather than aggressive, their own actions will be far less likely to escalate a chance encounter into an outright confrontation.
Veryl Goodnight
Mancos
