Meet Esther Hobart Morris

Hey, I'm Esther! My boss lady, Melissa, gave me the full name of Esther Hobart Morris because a big dog requires a big name. 

My namesake, the original Esther Hobart Morris, was the first female American judge who served in South Pass City, WY in 1870. She was nicknamed the "terror of all rogues." My large paws step in that tough lady's huge footprints.

I was born in February 2022, and came to live with Melissa on her farm, Melissahof, in July 2022. I was really sad at first, because I left my birthplace, my mom and my sheep to serve at the livestock guardian dog for Melissa's poultry.

Now, I'm three and half years old and weigh in at 115 pounds. I have 35 acres to guard for Melissa, and EVERYTHING wants to eat chickens! Most predators - coyotes, raccoons, foxes, etc. - run away when I bark and run toward them. The skunks, though, they are rude. They just stick their fluffy tail in the air and keep marching. I have had to kill 14 skunks to protect the lives of my poultry. 

I sure enjoy greeting people when they come to Melissahof to pick up their chickens. The customers ask Melissa about my breeding. I'm a Kangal - Ovcharka cross. The Kangal breed originated in central Turkey and the Ovcharka breed is from the Caucasus region that includes Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Me, though, I was born near Meeteetse, Wyo. on a sheep ranch. 

I love my Melissahof livestock guardian dog job! I run the farm, literally, to ensure that the predators stay away. Because of me, the wildlife of our valley can live peaceably here alongside my chickens.

As Melissa named me, I am Esther Hobart Morris - the farm's Justice of the Peace.