Given a choice, most dogs will poop where there's a little cover. They also prefer to pee on things upright like trees, fences (especially ones with neighbor dogs on the other side) etc.
Grin, you just aren't a dog person. Thats ok!
I have a dog and a cat, living in sin and sleeping together. The dog doesnt bite but if the cat likes you, she gives lovey-knarfs (no skin broken).
I adapted well to the dog (Cash-pup is from the rescue society) and it didnt take long to discover he selected a favorite spot in general for his business that needs scouping. It's the closest to one with a shrub over it (a short tree, about 6ft and spready with white flowers).
Our cat of 18 years just died a couple of months ago. Speaking of animals that bite, this cat put some serious hurt on me. I learned pretty quick not to play that way with her.
Despite the bites, she was great and we all miss her.
Reading your response and gardengal, I think I'm beginning to understand. My friend with the moonscape yard just lets the dogs out when they want to go out, and they're unsupervised most of the time. I don't think that's compatible with a good garden. If you just let them run wild in a small yard they're going to destroy it.
What I wasn't getting is that I thought big dogs have to run or they won't be healthy. I guess if you want them to get exercise you have to bring them somewhere else.
The fact remains that either you can ignore the ghastly side of pets, poo, wee, sick, unidentified bits of prey, other people's pets hanging about, enormous vet bills, inconsolable loss when they depart.....
Or you can't. It really isn't worth arguing about, you know.
Now, what really, really annoys me, is when the daffodils come out before Christmas....
Hehe It's OK! My husband had Dogs all his life until he joined the miliary. Me, I always wanted one but the only one we had when i was a kid was a lab that was sweet natured but grew bigger than most and could put her paws on my 6'4" brother's shoulders and reach down to like his head when she was 6 months old (Momma was a pure-breed, daddy was a tall fence jumper). Peggy would have fit the yard had she been normal sized but Mom found her a new home on a 15 acre farm. I cried alot when I let her go but the yard was cool and lots of room for Peggy. I was about 13.
I really catch that one! Had cats last 30 years. Husband 'learned' cats. He'll still be settin' there on the sofa and growling 'damn cat' while petting one and getting knarfed. He's dealt now with several semi-ferals so knows how to deal with it.
Grin, understood.
Um, yeah. Destruction potential there. Also, some breeds of dogs tend more to 'digging' than others. I can let Cash out and play with him and have him try to get *me* to play 'Mom, lets dig'. Doesnt work, but he aint a bored pup when he does it. It is his nature, and we distract him to make it all sane.
Training here, he has one patch we let him dig in. He knows no other is allwed and *mostly* sticks to that. We backfill it with dirt as needed. Grin, both happy.
True. In my case, Cash-pup is a perfect pick. See, he was apparently stolen from loving owners (we suspect a black family as he *loves* black people, and stolen by someone who looks a bit mexican as he growls at such and we have to make sure he doesnt bother them if the come to the door). Anyway, I make pretty good money so adopted the 'unadoptable' dog with heart worms and turned down several times by the SPCA for neutering due to health. He's not *allowed* per vets to 'run' more than 1/2 mile and at that, has to be human speed. Up to 2 mile walks now alowed.
Cash-pup has a life expectancy of 5 years, 7 best. He's 3 by vet estimation. I will enjoy all the years we have and yes, i knew this all when we adopted him. So, color me 'dog lover' (grin).
Personal opinion? A gardener who can't handle a little poop would be replaced by one who could.
Personal opinion? A gardener who can't handle a little poop would be
replaced by one who could.
Don't make it sound as if it doesn't matter. It's my original question!!!
I am not interested in whether dogs and gardens are compatible, that is not the question. What's more, I am not a dog hater, I have had several dogs myself.
I am perfectly happy to be replaced. In fact, I am such a good gardener I have a waiting list. However, I wanted opinions of other jobbing gardeners (look it up). The point is, it is not 'a little poop', there can be as many as ten poops in an area 20 m by 15 m. Surely you don't think this is normal? Yuk, I wouldn't want to have Pimms on your patio.
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