We adopted two Great Pyrenees through your organization that are currently with us. Wilson joined us December 14, 2014 and Yetti joined us April 21, 2015. These two pups(!) are nothing less than amazing. We had rescued 2 others previous to them but lost them early in their lives due to illness so we had lots of experience with the breed before these two joined us. We were not sure about having two at first but now we know it was the absolutely right thing to do. It has enriched both their lives and ours.
Wilson was very thin and very scared when we picked him up from Megan (foster mom). They had just received him in their house so had not had much of an opportunity to work with him. However, we knew as soon as we saw him, that he was coming home with us! When we got him home he would not even come through the door to come into the house and was absolutely petrified of every little noise! In working with him he has come to a comfortable weight (!) of around 115 lbs. He is not fat as you can see from the picture. He is very comfortable in the house and out in the yard although he does prefer to be close to us most of the time.
Yetti had just been weaned from a litter before we got her from Karen (foster mom). She also had only been there for a short time so Karen had not had the chance to work with her. We had looked at another pup a few months earlier at Karen’s so she knew we were looking for a female companion for Wilson and called us as soon as Yetti arrived. Yetti had some skin issues when she came and exhibits characteristics that indicate she might have been an environment where she was harshly disciplined. She was not much underweight which was good but took a long time to get comfortable in the house. She is not afraid of noises as is Wilson (actually she makes enough of her own) so she helps calm him when he gets scared.
The two of them have bonded amazingly. They are very dependent on each other and watch over each other at all times. They want to go everywhere together and both of them get upset if one goes somewhere without the other! Yetti is the high strung one. She runs and barks at everything and has a path worn all along the front fence in our yard! Wilson, on the other hand, is the laid back one. He just sits and watches her run and bark. Oh, he barks but not nearly as much thankfully. Her bark is loud but his is deep and thunderous! They are very protective of each other and of us. Yetti in particular will not let anybody she does not know approach us and we have to carefully introduce folks to her to make sure they understand she won’t bite (she is very threatening but has never bit anybody. She will nip only if someone is aggressive toward her and that only happened once). She uses her bark to discourage anybody from approaching. That’s one reason we thought she might have suffered some abuse. Another reason is she is very sensitive to discipline and extremely obedient to commands. If you raise your voice she will immediately sit and look at you for guidance. No need to ever do more with her! Wilson, on the other hand, is the typical stubborn GP. He is very intelligent and knows everything we say and is also very obedient. But, you must occasionally deal with the stubborn side. It isn’t hard, just never let him get away with it!
To say it is a joy having them in our life is an understatement. They provide the love, protection and ability to help us through life every day!