Our old sofa has become our most used piece of furniture these past couple of days. Just after the day, a couple of weeks ago that we decided the old sofa was OK for teenage son and dogs, the rain has come.
It has been raining off and on for over a week, and we have had many millimetres of rain in our rain gauge. The grass is growing back and because the dogs are staying inside, La De is not wreaking his usual havoc on our back lawn. Woo Hoo!
The pharaoh hounds in particular are enjoying the sofa, because our old schnauzer, Rangler. does not dare to get up there, and Nena, our younger schnauzer is safely locked away in the crate, when the dominant pharaoh hound, Ananka, can't get her.
It's peaceful, it's raining, all is good in our world. OH, except our old pharaoh hound, Kharis decided to get on the newer sofa this morning, and Graham, my husband, had to give him a stern talking to. He won't do that again, I don't think, not now that he realises we don't want him to. You have to let your dogs know what you expect of them, and then they usually will play by your rules.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
How Dogs Garden
Digging is not the only thing dogs do in the garden, of course. It just happens to be the first one most people think of when you mention the subject. We have had puppies who love to do pruning, pull down washing for mulching, getting rid of garden pests.
Recently we had a garden pest, a kitten. I had to step in and do the work on getting rid of that one. Fortunately, the kitten and the dogs were on opposite sides of a fence, so there was no nasty blood.
I'm not a cat person, but it was a cute kitten, so I strolled up the street and found the little cuties' home. I warned to kitten's owner that it might mot work out so well the next time his kitten tried to get in our backyard. I'm glad to say I haven't seen the kitten since.
Our dogs also help with the birds. They yell (bark) at them to scare them off, and sometimes they get rid of the slow ones by catching and eating them. We have also had pest reptiles killed by the dogs. The brown snake bitten in half caused me some stress, but it worked out just fine.
I threw out the snake bits, and the dogs lived to woof another day.
We get a particular type of very large moth come out after a heavy rain following a dry period, and it is hilarious to see baby puppies try to dispose of these pests. The moths are almost bigger than the pups.
Recently we had a garden pest, a kitten. I had to step in and do the work on getting rid of that one. Fortunately, the kitten and the dogs were on opposite sides of a fence, so there was no nasty blood.
I'm not a cat person, but it was a cute kitten, so I strolled up the street and found the little cuties' home. I warned to kitten's owner that it might mot work out so well the next time his kitten tried to get in our backyard. I'm glad to say I haven't seen the kitten since.
Our dogs also help with the birds. They yell (bark) at them to scare them off, and sometimes they get rid of the slow ones by catching and eating them. We have also had pest reptiles killed by the dogs. The brown snake bitten in half caused me some stress, but it worked out just fine.
I threw out the snake bits, and the dogs lived to woof another day.
We get a particular type of very large moth come out after a heavy rain following a dry period, and it is hilarious to see baby puppies try to dispose of these pests. The moths are almost bigger than the pups.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
It's raining, dogs quiet!
We just had a huge rain shower and I think all of the dogs have lost their collective powers of communication.
All of the Pharaoh Hounds are outside, and not a single one of them is woofing. It's a miracle. Of course they have probably retreated to their sheltered spots outside. I'm not game enough to poke my head out the door in case they start barking again.
If they're lying down somewhere comfy out of the rain, well that's good for all of us.
The Schnauzers are both inside at the moment. One of them is our oldest girl, Rangler (CH Holkschter Ranger Jane), and the other is Nena who I have a very soft spot for. I think Nena feels the same way about me.
That will all change soon enough, Jake will come home from school, dogs will have to woof at him to say "hello, let us inside please". Then it will be dinner time for the dogs, and even Rangler, especially Rangler, will woof at me to make me work faster.
Rangler hasn't figured out yet that I take exactly the same time to make dogs' dinner whether she's barking her had off at me or not. She'd annoying, but at least she's not one who digs holes in the back lawn!
All of the Pharaoh Hounds are outside, and not a single one of them is woofing. It's a miracle. Of course they have probably retreated to their sheltered spots outside. I'm not game enough to poke my head out the door in case they start barking again.
If they're lying down somewhere comfy out of the rain, well that's good for all of us.
The Schnauzers are both inside at the moment. One of them is our oldest girl, Rangler (CH Holkschter Ranger Jane), and the other is Nena who I have a very soft spot for. I think Nena feels the same way about me.
That will all change soon enough, Jake will come home from school, dogs will have to woof at him to say "hello, let us inside please". Then it will be dinner time for the dogs, and even Rangler, especially Rangler, will woof at me to make me work faster.
Rangler hasn't figured out yet that I take exactly the same time to make dogs' dinner whether she's barking her had off at me or not. She'd annoying, but at least she's not one who digs holes in the back lawn!
Monday, May 4, 2009
The Winner Is Announced!
Congratulations to Sue Kennedy, also known as Domestic Daze. She has won with her Old English Sheepdogs pissing on the herbs and being afraid of getting their toes wet. Very funny for a breed of dog that herds sheep in the sodden sheep country in their homeland in England.
I'd still love to read about other people's dogs and how they garden. At the moment, our dogs are happy to stay inside until much later in the morning. It used to be 7.00 am they were looking for an outside run, but some of them are still sleeping and it's nearly 11.00am!
I don't blame them, I haven't been outside either this morning.It's cold out there! It's going to be a lovely mild day, but after another clear sky overnight, the morning is rather nippy. I'm hoping it will be getting warmer soon, I have a load of washing nearly ready to be hung out.
Once the washing is hung out, I'll have to keep an eye on things when Missy is outside. She's our youngest dog, a lovely Pharaoh Hound girl, and I'm not entirely convinced she had nothing to do with the washing that has ended up on the ground in the past few weeks. It might have been the wind, but every time it has happened, Missy has been outside.
I can't say she did it, because I haven't seen her pulling at the washing, she's just been in the vicinity. At the moment, she's curled up in a dog crate with her big brother, La De Da. They look very cute.
I'd still love to read about other people's dogs and how they garden. At the moment, our dogs are happy to stay inside until much later in the morning. It used to be 7.00 am they were looking for an outside run, but some of them are still sleeping and it's nearly 11.00am!
I don't blame them, I haven't been outside either this morning.It's cold out there! It's going to be a lovely mild day, but after another clear sky overnight, the morning is rather nippy. I'm hoping it will be getting warmer soon, I have a load of washing nearly ready to be hung out.
Once the washing is hung out, I'll have to keep an eye on things when Missy is outside. She's our youngest dog, a lovely Pharaoh Hound girl, and I'm not entirely convinced she had nothing to do with the washing that has ended up on the ground in the past few weeks. It might have been the wind, but every time it has happened, Missy has been outside.
I can't say she did it, because I haven't seen her pulling at the washing, she's just been in the vicinity. At the moment, she's curled up in a dog crate with her big brother, La De Da. They look very cute.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Competition over!
Well a new month brings many new things. It also calls the end to other things.
One thing that promised to be fun was the competition to find the best true story about dogs in the garden. But, sadly, that competition has closed now, and once the judging is over, the winner will be announced and the prize will be posted.
Don't despair though, if you didn't get your entry in. We may still be offering a prize for good true stories about the subject. Dogs and gardens go together so well, don't they?
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Win a book! Free! Dogs and Gardens
Yes, dogs and gardens can add up to perfect happiness; or they can add up to perfect stress and mayhem! I'd love to hear your true stories about your dog and garden!
If you have a dog causing havoc in your garden, perhaps you need to get down to dog level and work out why your dog is going what it's doing. Is your dog bored? Does your dog realise it isn't meant to pull sheets off the clothesline? Is your dog digging after things to eat?
There are many books and websites that deal with each of these problems, I'm not going into them in detail. I know La De digs because it keeps him amused, and I know puppies pull things from the clothesline because they haven't learned not to yet. My dogs love to catch things and eat them, not because they're hungry necessarily, but because they have instincts that tell them to do it. Looking at it from the dog's point of view can certainly help. They seem almost human sometimes, but dogs are dogs, they do dog things.
Yes dogs do dog things, and being out in the garden, sitting around and watching the dogs play and explore is so much fun, it helps us get over the frustration of the mess caused by the dogs. That is, until the breeze kicks up and we're covered in dust because of La De's digging! It's not all his fault. If there weren't water restrictions because of the drought, our back lawn would be growing better and there wouldn't be so much bare earth.
Of course, if La De left it all alone, it would give the grass a better chance, but...
Anyway, do you have any fun or frustration-plus Dog and Garden stories? I'll give a free copy of my book to the best Dogs and Gardens story I receive in April 2009. (residents of Australia only)
If you wish to enter, either leave as a comment here, or email to jeebers@bigpond.com, giving your postal address and name
If you have a dog causing havoc in your garden, perhaps you need to get down to dog level and work out why your dog is going what it's doing. Is your dog bored? Does your dog realise it isn't meant to pull sheets off the clothesline? Is your dog digging after things to eat?
There are many books and websites that deal with each of these problems, I'm not going into them in detail. I know La De digs because it keeps him amused, and I know puppies pull things from the clothesline because they haven't learned not to yet. My dogs love to catch things and eat them, not because they're hungry necessarily, but because they have instincts that tell them to do it. Looking at it from the dog's point of view can certainly help. They seem almost human sometimes, but dogs are dogs, they do dog things.
Yes dogs do dog things, and being out in the garden, sitting around and watching the dogs play and explore is so much fun, it helps us get over the frustration of the mess caused by the dogs. That is, until the breeze kicks up and we're covered in dust because of La De's digging! It's not all his fault. If there weren't water restrictions because of the drought, our back lawn would be growing better and there wouldn't be so much bare earth.
Of course, if La De left it all alone, it would give the grass a better chance, but...
Anyway, do you have any fun or frustration-plus Dog and Garden stories? I'll give a free copy of my book to the best Dogs and Gardens story I receive in April 2009. (residents of Australia only)
If you wish to enter, either leave as a comment here, or email to jeebers@bigpond.com, giving your postal address and name
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Good 'Dog in the Garden' stories
I was talking to some people yesterday when I was poet in residence at the Mallala Hotel. We got talking about dogs, because I had showed them a copy of my 'Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs' book.
One of them told me about how he came to get his dog. It was not a nice story, but it had a happy ending. This man, Philip, lives in Singapore, and he had noticed a dog on a wire, so it could run 'loose', but there was no shade at all. This wasn't a once off situation, he saw it for some time. Philip was unhappy about the situation, and offered to buy the dog.
The owners refused, and said they couldn't bear to part with their dog. Philip said, what if I tell the authorities about how you are keeping the dog? The people backed down and sold the dog to Philip. The dog now lives a much happier life, with plenty of shade, and shelter when it rains. This dog is a kind of child substitute, much loved and cared for. Philip and his wife are happy to have saved the dog from distress, and thrilled to have the dog in their lives.
The other person, Scott, had a different story. He has a cairn terrier, which he takes hunting. The dog is a very good hunter, and Scott likes him for his hunting abilities.
Last winter Scott's dog was doing some 'pruning' of the creeper going up Scott's pergola. The dog chewed the plant right down to ground level, and Scott felt like shooting the dog, he was so angry. But he calmed down and the dog was allowed to live. Then, come spring, that creeper crept up and over the pergola, thick and lush and healthier than it had ever been. Scott is a firm believer in letting his dog get involved in the gardening now!
I was happy to hear both of these stories, it shows how beneficial it can be if you get your dog out there in the garden, and how much joy a dog can bring to a person's life.
One of them told me about how he came to get his dog. It was not a nice story, but it had a happy ending. This man, Philip, lives in Singapore, and he had noticed a dog on a wire, so it could run 'loose', but there was no shade at all. This wasn't a once off situation, he saw it for some time. Philip was unhappy about the situation, and offered to buy the dog.
The owners refused, and said they couldn't bear to part with their dog. Philip said, what if I tell the authorities about how you are keeping the dog? The people backed down and sold the dog to Philip. The dog now lives a much happier life, with plenty of shade, and shelter when it rains. This dog is a kind of child substitute, much loved and cared for. Philip and his wife are happy to have saved the dog from distress, and thrilled to have the dog in their lives.
The other person, Scott, had a different story. He has a cairn terrier, which he takes hunting. The dog is a very good hunter, and Scott likes him for his hunting abilities.
Last winter Scott's dog was doing some 'pruning' of the creeper going up Scott's pergola. The dog chewed the plant right down to ground level, and Scott felt like shooting the dog, he was so angry. But he calmed down and the dog was allowed to live. Then, come spring, that creeper crept up and over the pergola, thick and lush and healthier than it had ever been. Scott is a firm believer in letting his dog get involved in the gardening now!
I was happy to hear both of these stories, it shows how beneficial it can be if you get your dog out there in the garden, and how much joy a dog can bring to a person's life.
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