In 1994 I embarked on an experiment to determine if livestock guarding dogs, the same kind used in Turkey for more than 5,000 years, could be effective in reducing predation losses for small stock farmers in Namibia. With their imposing presence, fierce bark and loyal, protective nature, livestock guarding dogs provide a buffer between goats and sheep and wildlife sharing farmland habitat. They deter most would-be predators with their bark alone, alleviating pressure on farmers to trap or shoot predators on sight. In Namibia these dogs are credited with saving the lives of hundreds of cheetah and many, many other predator species.