[Capt. Charlie]

Sorry Cal, but I have to side with Rich on this one. Think about it: One dog of ANY breed against a PACK of wolves is no contest. Wolves are smart and have a great hunting strategy... teamwork. They'll run a moose in a circle, where the next wolf takes over... another circle, until said moose is tuckered out, and it's easy pickin's. A bull moose (or elk) is a damned site tougher than any one dog. I'm a staunch conservationist, but I'm also familiar with open range ranching. Sheep tend to stay in a tight bunch, where cattle usually spread out some. They'll stay in a herd, but it's a loose association, and a herd of 100 Hereford may spread out over a hundred acres, which is far more than one dog can patrol. Dogs used to protect sheep flocks are raised with sheep, but cattle won't tolerate a dog like that, so the protection instinct is much reduced. Even if there was more than one dog, and the protection instinct was there, a wolf pack is smart enough to create a diversion to distract the dogs, while a couple will slip in from the rear and take what they want. Ranchers and farmers today operate on a razor's edge between a successful operation and bankruptcy. I fear the smaller operations are doomed to extinction because of large "factory farms" and ranches. The family farm and ranch is the backbone of America, and losses to anything can make the difference between failure and success. I really want to see the wolves thrive, but not at the expense of generations of family ranchers.