While US hikers have to be wary of grizzly bears, elks and bison, it seems hikers in the French alps have been facing a different threat recently, with two incidents involving Pyrenean mountain dogs, or “patou dogs” as they are commonly known in France.
They might look like big, cuddly, fluffy hounds to most of us but they are also working dogs, who, it seems, can be overzealous in their livestock-protecting duties.
In the most recent incident, on July 21, a hiker in the Alps had to be rescued by helicopter after being attacked by a pack of up to 10 patous.
The 32-year-old woman was hiking in the Vercors massif area in the Rhône Valley, and had bivouacked overnight on the Sornin plateau, only to be attacked by the dogs the next morning.
After one dog repeatedly bit her rucksack, she made a run for it, only for other dogs to appear and give chase. She called emergency services, and CRS Alpes told her to climb a tree and wait for them to arrive. They then sent a helicopter to help her off mountain. She was physically unharmed, but shocked and scared, according to The Connexion.
This follows an incident on July 11 when a dog owner, Michel Gobet, and his puppy were injured by two Patou guard dogs in a car park near near the col de l’Izoard (Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur).
Gobet picked up his puppy as the dogs started to attack but one of the patous ripped the puppy from his arms.
The nine-month old bichon frisé was left with life-threatening injuries and had to be rushed to a vet for treatment, costing more than €800 ($870).
Gobet told told BFM DICI he has been left “traumatized”.
The patous are used by farmers in the Alps to protect their herds and flocks from predators. They are essentially guard dogs, trained to defend farm animals and not trained as if they were family pets only. They are specifically taught to defend and attack in case of threats.
The owner of the two dogs that attacked the puppy says he is sympathetic but unsure what to do.
"I pay the rent for the mountain and I have a legitimate right to protect my herd. But now I don't know what to do because the risk will always exist.”
The farmers say the sheer numbers of hikers – and mountain bikers – who are visiting the area are part of the problem. A spokesman for the local authority after the most recent attack said, “Frankly, we've had more problems between Patous and tourists than wolf attacks since the start of the season.”
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