by John Dowd
For some people, dogs are just a way of life. Tim Cavey, a volunteer with the local nonprofit, Great Pyrenees Rescue Montana, is one of these people. For him, it is hard to beat the Great Pyrenees breed. At almost 74 years old, he loves these dogs. So much so that upon first meeting one, he immediately adopted her.
According to Cavey, a prime reason he loves the breed is because they are very independent. This melts into their personality in all forms and makes them very personable. He currently owns two, both rescues from the same organization that showed him the breed. His dogs are Bear and Ali. Ali was his first, and she solidified the passion.
Tom Cavey stands between his dogs, Bear at left, and Ali. Photo by John Dowd.
He worked for nine years with the Wind River Bear Institute, working with Karelian Bear Dogs. There, he was a dog caretaker and helped upkeep the property. After retiring from there, he has worked at a few local hardware stores, but also began volunteering with area rescues. He got involved with Great Pyrenees Rescue Montana to do dog transports, which he did a lot for other rescues. The process involved transporting dogs from various locations, such as to and from appointments, or to pick His first dog, Ali, had been abandoned in the mountains of Utah, with her two puppies. She weighed only 60 pounds, even though these dogs typically weigh well over 100 pounds.
Ali was being transported from Utah to Montana, and when Cavey met her, it was love at first sight. He ended up adopting her right off.
“I picked her up in Drummond (for the rescue) and three and a half years later, here we are. She’s my girl,” said Cavey. Ali is now 125 pounds, happy and healthy.
According to Cavey, Great Pyrenees are great people dogs, and surprisingly laid back. They are also extremely perceptive to any threats, since their breed is a livestock protection dog. According to Cavey, they are also great with kids, often being very protective of them. However, the biggest reasons he fell in love with the breed is their independence, Their loyalty and how relaxed they are.
“These dogs are so chill,” says Cavey. “No panic.”
The one issue he has seen is that they tend to wander, even jumping very high fences. For a large breed, they are very agile, added Cavey.
Cavey still works with the rescue, taking dogs boarded in kennels on walks. With his experience working with dogs, he also often tries to suss out their personalities. He takes them into town, to parks and around other locations to learn how they will be with other people and other dogs. Cavey said, “I get some input on what their personalities are.”
He also added, “I get to spoil these dogs.”
Kenneled dogs only get out a few times a day if they are lucky, and spend the rest of the time on concrete. His visits and those of the other volunteers may be the only times these dogs get to socialize.
The organization often boards their rescues at Old Farm Kennel, but will occasionally use Big Sky Dog Kennels as well. Fortunately, right now all of their rescues are living in foster homes. This, according to Cavey, is a big help.
“Fostering gives the dogs experience with a real life, real people and a family,” said Cavey. “It also greatly reduces the cost for us.”
According to Cavey, the organization will cover the cost of food and vet bills for qualified foster homes for the rescue’s dogs.
The importance of fostering was echoed by Ellen Mayo, the assistant director of the organization. Having their dogs in foster care is ideal, as opposed to the kennel option.
Ellen Mayo and one of her rescue dogs. Photo courtesy Ellen Mayo.
“It really allows their personalities to flourish,” said Mayo. According to Mayo, depending on how many dogs they have, the organization has seen costs of as high as $7,000 per month.
The organization has been around for over 25 years. However, it died out and Carol McLaughlin, the program director, revived it about 14 years ago. Mayo has been with the organization for nearly four years, and started the same way Cavey did, transporting dogs. Eventually, she took on doing the group’s online stuff, after seeing they had very little presence there. Mayo said she grew up around big dogs and this breed in particular is special.
“They have always had my heart,” said Mayo.
Mayo stated that the ultimate goal of the organization is to get their rescues adopted. Interested parties can visit the organization website, at greatpyrrescuemt.org and fill out an online adoption form. Homes must be capable of taking on big dogs because these really are a large breed, known for scaring off large bears and moose. For Mayo, that is one of the reasons she loves them.
“They are loyal to a fault, friendly and protective,” said Mayo. “They were really bred to be protecting dogs, and they are really fantastic when a family respects the breed for what they are.”
For more information about the rescue and the breed, interested parties can call (406) 370-3308 or find the group on Facebook.
