Dog injured defending goats against wild animal

CHENEY, Wash. — A goat farm guardian dog near Cheney is recovering from a battle with a wild animal.

“You can tell he does not want to move around too much,” said the dog’s owner Lester Camp. “But he will and he can and he’s just as sweet as he always is.”

Lester and Shay Camp own Leshay Goat Rental near Cheney. They are used to coyotes howling and prowling around their property.

The coyotes usually keep their distance from the couple’s guard dogs Kota and Sasha.

“Those dogs are out there in the dark, barking and chasing something around every single night,” said Lester.

The two dogs are in charge of protecting over 200 goats.

“There’s no coyotes that are going to have their way with him,” Lester said.

That is why they were shocked to find Kota bloodied in the barn Thursday morning.

“He was just full of holes, straight puncture wounds in his head and on his neck and a little bit on his legs,” Lester said.

They suspect something bigger than a coyote was behind the attack.

“We just really didn’t know exactly what it was. But whatever it was, it was big,” he said.

The Camps usually leave their goats out in the field overnight, relying on the dogs to protect them. This attack has led them to change that.

“We’re going to start bringing the goats in every night and put them in sheds. Then the dogs will come in so they can’t go out, just to protect them until we are confident that there’s no more big predators around,” Lester said.

The Camps said the Department of Fish and Wildlife has set up game cameras on the property to see if the animal behind the attack comes back. The Department hopes to know more about what animal it was next week.

Until the Camps have answers and know the animal is long gone, they will be doing what they can to protect their animals and their livelihood.

As for Kota, the couple is focusing on nursing him back to health.

“He wants to get his love,” Lester said. “I think he’s going to be just fine.”