Livestock guardian dogs are the special forces protecting cows and sheep

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — If Old MacDonald had a farm in Colorado these days, he’d want some of the livestock guardian dogs Jan and Pat Stanko breed.

The couple, who own Emerald Mountain Ranch outside of Steamboat Springs, breed Turkish Boz Shepherds that can weigh 180 pounds as adults and hold off a predator, yet have the joyful exuberance of a puppy with a package of pig ears.

On websites dedicated to their breed , Boz are described as “even tempered, calm and assured,” as well as “not easily startled, timid or anxious.” They have “a stronger need to love and be loved by (their) family than other breeds,” and they can be “so quiet while sitting or lying near their flock,” they look like a giant stuffed animal.

These descriptions proved true on a blustery day in August when three Boz p