Most people her by know a nickname. We'll call her *Idra.

She's more likely to wear a proper cowboy hat, jeans and cowboy boots, rather than a fancy suit. She can crunch numbers, build things — just about anything — and is passionate about her family, Kangal dogs, horses and good whiskey. She is capable, strong and fierce. When someone is in need, she is there, lending a helping hand, no questions asked. 

Chances are, she's read that book or watched that movie. She loves a good joke, a cup of strong coffee and walking the forested trails around her homestead, with her Kangals beside her. She has lived from one end of the country to the other. She has experienced a roller coaster of triumphs and heartache. She may be quick to blame herself for a day's mishap, but she is also the first to lift up someone else who has stumbled.

In a world of fakers, she's as real as they come.

Her understanding of animals — namely, dogs — is rivaled only by her ability to break that understanding down and put it into human terms. As a longtime dog trainer and rehabber, she has a gift for taking a seemingly irredeemable mess and turning it into a gem.

The people she has helped are numerous, through her dog training business and her work on social media, helping people trouble-shoot training issues.

And we'd like to give back to her, by helping her get a new pickup truck. More often than not of late, her trusty Tacoma has let her down. We'd like to help her get a new ride — something more reliable, with perhaps a little more room for Kangals. There are memories. We know that. But it's time.

We also know her. She would very likely balk at the idea — which explains the fake nickname. We want to serve her in this way. Our goal is $15,000, to purchase a solid pickup truck, and help with registration and additional insurance. We hope to accomplish this by Christmas.

*Idra has helped us, and continues to do so, selflessly. We want to help her. But just don't take my word for it.

KRISTIN:

In January of 2017, I purchased an Anatolian/Pyr puppy. My intentions were to bring in a dog that would serve as a guardian to our small but growing farm, and also companion to my family ... to grow together.

As expected, this venture proved challenging, including the inability to build a relationship that included mutual respect and firm boundaries. Before I could even process where it was headed, our goats were being pulled around the pen by their leg. Was the dog failing us? Maybe. Were we failing her? Definitely.

As options and realities began to line up, my other reality grew worse, and in April of 2017, my son was diagnosed with a rare, life threatening form of epilepsy known as DOOSE or MAE syndrome. He was having nearly 200 seizures a day.

Three days after his diagnosis, a tree fell on my husband, crushing his leg and putting him out of work for months. And, in that time, the dog unraveled. In desperation, I scrolled the depths of the web, and, by a level of grace one can’t dismiss as chance, I found *Idra.

I was out of options, out of money, and running out of hope. None of that phased *Idra in the least. Over the next several months, we worked together tirelessly to rehabilitate our relationship with our dog. Ultimately, that included her going to a new home.

Fast forward today, I am extremely honored and blessed to be a very special Turkish Kangal’s human. While we are very settled and in a good space, our relationship with *Idra has stuck in our hearts, and I am honored to call her my friend.

CHELSEA:

In May 2019, our beloved dog unexpectedly attacked and killed another dog while on a walk. We were, to say the least, terrified, shaken, mortified, and wracked with guilt.

I spent weeks calling, begging, and pleading, trying to find a reputable rescue to take her. We had an infant, and his safety was paramount. Sending her to a shelter was out of the question, as was a private adoption. I was berated, told what a bad dog owner and person I was. I was trashed on the Internet, and scolded by trainers for not using their techniques that we didn’t know existed. According to them, we were bad and shouldn’t even be allowed to keep — much less have — another dog in the future.

I begged the local animal control officer for help, and she referred me to a person she described as “the last hope” for dogs that had been condemned. We connected, and the woman agreed to come meet the dog.

She showed up in a cowboy hat and blue Western-style shirt, and spent several minutes observing the dog (and us, to be honest), and listening to our story before finally asking, “What breed of dog is this?”

I replied, “German shepherd cross,” to which she said, “That’s not what this dog is — she’s an Anatolian.” I was totally flabbergasted; I had no idea what a LGD was, but I was about to learn.

I didn’t know on that day I was meeting someone who would turn out to be our rescuer, mentor, and true friend. She’s comforted me and reassured me multiple times I wasn’t a bad dog owner or person. She’s used her dogs to help me get past my fear of dogs being around my son.

She’s promised me I will find my confidence as a dog owner again, and has been there every step of the way. She ended up taking our dog, with whom she’s worked tirelessly.  She truly cares about not only the dogs, but their shepherds, too.

MELINA:

I found *Idra’s livestock guardian dog training group just under a year ago.

After two months of reading and watching people discuss problems, we brought our Anatolian shepherd puppy home. I showed off cute puppy pictures, but I was a bundle of nerves, not wanting to screw up such an amazing dog.

For months, *Idra has answered my questions with unending patience and good humor. Everything from feeding to the intricacies of dog behavior and genetics. It is consistently some of the best information I’ve had access to, and she never asks anything in return.

With minimal bumps along the way, I have an almost 1-year-old LGD who has never chased a chicken, knows to scan the sky for our prey birds, stood up to stray dogs right next to me — but also, will happily go to the playground when I take kids. She loves to go to the vet, will greet new dogs calmly and appropriately, and is a model for her breed, which I am regularly told is "aggressive." Oh, and she doesn’t wander and she doesn’t bark all night.

*Idra is one of the most giving people I can think of. She is a mentor and something of a celebrity to me. She is a confident advocate for the proper care of dogs and other animals. She is someone I hope to continue to get to know, to work with and to become friends with.

DOT:

I bought a livestock guardian dog to guard my property and poultry. I was Rango's second home at only 8 months old. He had been raised out with the cattle and had very little training. Oh, and he chased cats.

He came home and proceeded to kill the husband's favorite duck. I was beside myself. I had hoped the dog would be a good all-around dog, guard the house from tweakers, guard the poultry and come hiking with me.
All the online advice told me the same thing, I couldn't have a dog that did everything and LGDs weren't made to protect poultry. Thank God someone told me I could have a dog that did everything I wanted, and directed me to *Idra's group.

*Idra helped me immensely with Rango. She took my calls and helped me figure out solutions when new issues arose. She has no obligation to help me; this wasn't a pup she had bred.

But she puts her heart and soul into helping these dogs and their shepherds. Rango is now 3. He is a great poultry guardian and protects the homestead as well. He also has a great set of public manners and accompanies me on hikes.

Without *Idra's help, none of that would have been possible. She has gone above and beyond for these dogs and their people.

SANDY:

It’s difficult to find the words for just how grateful I am to have found *Idra.  Most of the dog world is a den of chaos and contradiction, sprinkled generously with insanity.  (ESPECIALLY when it comes to LGDs.)  *Idra has this wonderful way of using clarity and logic to quickly dissipate that fog of nonsense.  It’s as refreshing as it is valuable.

*Idra is the first to offer help and the last to request it.  Instead of simply monetizing her training and expertise, she chose to offer it freely to the public.  The fact that we have to give her a fake name just to be able to pay tribute to her this way is a testament to her selfless character. 

I can’t even count the number of times I’ve watched an emotionally overwrought owner reach out to her as their last hope in a situation they’ve been told is irreversible, only to be given a clear, concise action plan that actually WORKS!  And because of her advice, I myself was able to avoid making two very bad choices when I was looking for my first LGD, not to mention the countless mistakes I would have made without her help, once I actually got one. 

She empowers the shepherd we didn’t know we had in us, corrects us when we’re making bad choices, encourages us when we worry that we’ll never get it right, and celebrates with us when we DO!  It’s not an exaggeration to say that her help changes lives, both canine and human.  There is literally no one I know who is more deserving of this fund raiser!

BETH:

I met *Idra through her livestock guardian group. When I joined, I was in over my head to say the least.

We had two puppies. One that, with her guidance would turn into one of the most amazing dogs, and lead the path for where we are now! The other, with her guidance, I learned was not what we needed on the farm and we went on to find her a suitable home.

*Idra has always been bluntly honest and has called me out numerous times when I clearly wasn’t following their ways consistently. (I needed it!) She is always there for you.

I remember in the winter of 2017 when we had a litter of puppies I was a nervous wreck and couldn’t get a hold of the vets. Guess who was there to take my out of country phone call? She was amazing. She reassured me and helped me through what I was experiencing.

She is both wise, strong and reliable. She has helped us train five guardians for our sheep and is currently helping us through a rescue. I one day hope to meet her when we make it to the States.