Meet Juneau, Alaska Farm Bureau's First-Ever Alaska Farm Dog of the Year

On any given day at Rocking J Ranch outside Homer, Alaska, a yellow Labrador Retriever can be found exactly where she's needed most.

Sometimes she's patrolling the skies, sending ravens and eagles looking elsewhere for an easy meal. Other times she's helping move cattle across muddy flats, swimming rivers alongside horseback riders, checking fence lines, or quietly curling up beside a newborn animal that needs comfort.

She answers to Juneau.

Registered as Alaska's Juneau Gold, the 9-year-old Labrador has spent nearly a decade proving that a farm dog doesn't have to fit a stereotype. While Border Collies are known for gathering livestock and livestock guardian breeds are expected to protect the herd, Juneau has written her own job description, one that has earned her the distinction of becoming Alaska Farm Bureau's very first Alaska Farm Dog of the Year.

"I honestly figured there was no way a Lab was going to win Farm Dog," owner Katy Jones said with a laugh. "I just thought...why not enter her?"

As it turns out, no one has ever been quite like Juneau.

A Job She Chose Herself

Juneau wasn't trained to become a farm dog.

In fact, she was bred to retrieve ducks.

"I don't hunt ducks," Jones joked.

Instead, Juneau found work that suited her.

During calving, lambing, and farrowing season, predatory birds can pose a serious threat to newborn livestock. Somehow, Juneau learned the difference between welcome visitors and dangerous ones.

She ignores chickens, ducks, geese, and cranes that wander freely through the yard. But the instant an eagle circles overhead or a raven calls nearby, she's at the door before anyone else has noticed.

"If she's sitting on the couch and hears an eagle, raven, or crow, she's gone," Jones said. "She absolutely loses her mind until she gets outside."

Over the years, that instinct has saved countless young animals.

Even more remarkably, Juneau passed the behavior on to her daughter, a chocolate Labrador who now responds the same way.

Wherever the Work Is

Life on a working ranch demands versatility, and Juneau has never hesitated to take on a new responsibility.

She's worked cattle alongside members of the Fox River Cattlemen's Association, keeping pace with seasoned Border Collies while helping move herds through challenging terrain. She's crossed rivers, navigated mud flats, ridden countless miles with horses, and inspected fence lines.

The Mother Everyone Needed

If there's one role that truly defines Juneau, it's not herding cattle or chasing off predators.

It's motherhood.

Whenever an orphaned or sick animal needs around-the-clock care, it usually ends up inside the Jones home.

And somehow, Juneau always knows exactly what to do.

Over the years, she's helped raise piglets, lambs, calves, kittens, rabbits, horses, and just about anything else that needed comfort.

She shares her bed and patiently watches over them until they're strong enough to return outside.

"You can't train that into a dog," Jones said. "That's just her personality."

One of those former babies is now an 800-pound hog that still seems convinced she's part Labrador.

A Second Chance

A few years ago, Jones wasn't sure how much longer Juneau would be able to keep doing what she loved.

After being accidentally struck by a snowboarder being towed behind a horse during winter fun on the ranch, Juneau injured her shoulder. Arthritis followed.

Before long, she needed daily medication. Jones often had to lift her off the couch, help her outside, and even assist her just to get through her morning routine.

"I wasn't ready to lose my dog," Jones recalled.

Looking for anything that might help, Jones began replacing commercial dog food with meals prepared from the ranch itself.

Beef and pork trimmings, wild-caught salmon, vegetables from the garden, rice, and homemade salmon stock became the foundation of Juneau's diet.

The difference surprised everyone.

Her appetite returned almost immediately. The inflammation disappeared. Her arthritis faded to the point that medication was no longer necessary.

Today, Juneau once again spends her days running with horses, working livestock, and logging as many as 15 to 20 miles a day.

"You can't keep her in the side-by-side anymore," Jones laughed. "She'll just jump out because she'd rather run."

Even the small cysts Jones had worried about have remained unchanged, shrinking even, and Juneau shows few signs of slowing down.

A Legacy Beyond the Ranch

Juneau has produced just two carefully planned litters of puppies. Every puppy already had a home before it was born, requested by friends and fellow dog lovers who had seen firsthand what kind of dog she was.

Jones has no plans to breed again.

Instead, she's content watching Juneau's daughter carry on many of the instincts her mother developed naturally over years on the ranch.

Alaska's First Farm Dog

For Alaska Farm Bureau, recognizing Juneau as the inaugural Alaska Farm Dog of the Year celebrates more than one exceptional Labrador.

It recognizes the countless dogs whose work often goes unnoticed across Alaska's farms and ranches.

Some herd livestock. Some guard against predators. Others simply show up every day, ready to do whatever the farm asks of them.

Juneau has done all of that and then some.

When Jones thinks about the day she'll eventually have to say goodbye, she knows it won't be easy.

"When the day comes," she said, "there won't be a dry eye in the house."

For now, though, Juneau isn't interested in retirement.

There are cattle to check, birds to chase away, babies to look after, and another day of ranch work waiting just outside the door.