Georgia honors 2 farm dogs' bravery and loyalty in special ceremony

ATLANTA - Georgia agricultural officials honored two four-legged friends whose bravery and loyalty earned them national awards.

This year, The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) named Skippy its Farm Dog of the Year and Casper its People’s Choice Pup.

Skippy, a 4-year-old mixed breed, helps Donald and Laura Adams with their cattle every day.

The help was especially needed after Donald Adams became paralyzed from the neck down in an accident. After a long road to recovery, he slowly regained the ability to walk with canes.

"Being able to keep the cows and having something for me to live for every day … she has contributed to that immensely," Adams told The American Farm Bureau Federation.

FOX 5 first brought Casper's story to viewers in 2022, when the dog was recovering from his heroic actions.

In 2022, Casper fought off a pack of wild coyotes that were threatening his own John Wierwiller and his flock of sheep.

After the fight, Casper disappeared, leaving only patches of blood. Wierwiller said he sent messages on social media asking for people to help find him.

Two days later, Casper returned home - his face popping out from the farm's chicken hutches. 

"He was kinda looking at me like, ‘Boss, stop looking at how bad I look. Just take care of me,’" Wierwiller said.

The sheepdog has now recovered and remains on the job protecting the herd.

Both dogs were honored by Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and Georgia's second lady Jan Jones at a press conference on Wednesday.