To this date, our most popular post continues to be one that Elizabeth Bublitz of Paw-Friendly Landscapes wrote on ‘Paw-Friendly Gardening.’ Luckily for us, she is back in blogging mode and sending us new posts! Here is one for those of you who have or want to install a garden fence. If you enjoy Elizabeth’s posts, be sure to check out her class on August 13 at the Gardens (visit our calendar page to register!).

Healthy Fences

The number one deterrent of dogs escaping, or wildlife entering, is investing in a fence.  There are numerous types of fence – cedar or vinyl privacy, picket or three rail.  They vary in height as well. 

Many dogs jump up on fences when they are triggered by people passing by, especially dog walkers, squirrels and other “exciting” noises that grab their attention.  However, 6’ cedar and vinyl fences lose their upright pitch and can eventually fall or break defeating their purpose.  When dogs jump on the fence, their nails can also get caught in the slats and be pulled out.  What follows is a trip to the veterinarian and many days or weeks of rest. 

The solution to keeping a healthy fence, and in return, a healthy dog, is to provide windows for dogs.  Dogs will stay at ground level to bark at the passer-byers.  They will see out of their ground level window and won’t jump and damage the fence.  Their nails will also be spared.  If you own a vinyl fence and cannot create windows, install an “observation deck,” such as a high berm or mound in your yard so your Otis can peak over the fence without damaging it or himself. 

To create a window, simply cut out a 3’x3’ area (or whatever is comfortable for your dog) and install chicken or sheep wire onto it.  You can be creative and carve a dog bone, dog face, first initial of your dog, or whatever.  Your Otis will not mind, as long as he can see “visitors” and bark at them as they approach his property!  Ruff, ruff!

Tailwaggin’ tips:  If you have a multiple dogs or live next to dogs or high foot traffic, it’s best to install numerous windows.  Then each dog will have one or your dog can follow the traffic along the fence without wanting to jump!

Hot Dog!!!!

Boy is it July!  It is so hot these days with very little rain. It’s hard to believe my last blog was about too much moisture, now it’s taken a 180 degree turn (literally!) and I want to address dogs and gardens in heat stress. As a Colorado native, I should be use to these extremes, but I’m always in disbelief.

Dogs do not sweat so we must help them stay cool.  Of course pet owners know to always provide lots of cold, fresh water available, shelter in a cool place such as on a north or east side of the house or install a shade cloth over a dog run. Rock mulch heats up quickly so don’t leave dogs in dog runs that have rock as its basis. In many yards, I see them digging or nesting under trees, next to fences or large shrubs. This is okay if they’re not harming the shrub or tree’s roots. In fact, if it’s just a cosmetic concern, I usually tell people to let their dogs continue nesting so they don’t start digging in the sod (there is no easy fix to deter dogs from digging in sod) or next to the house which can create drainage issues.

Pet owners can also provide a child’s wading pool to keep dogs cool. This is cost effective and temporary so it can be stored away in the winter. Many homeowners actually have a pond made for their dogs or install a large store bought adult pool and create a ramp or put it next to a deck for dogs to use as access.

This time of year homeowners will also want to bump up the time on their sprinklers, especially if they’ve had new sod or plantings installed. We see lots of heat stress on plants and sod. Typical signs of heat stress include: sod quickly turns yellow, leaves on trees or shrubs droop or tips of leaves curl or get brown tips. Increasing the time on the irrigation and misting them in the morning or late afternoon (when there’s less evaporation) will alleviate this problem. In August, homeowners can reduce their watering cycles because night time temperatures will be cooler and less water is needed.

Good luck with this heat – if you have dogs, please keep them safe and happy! 

The rains have been great for our gardens and have created a beautiful spring, but it’s posed a few problems for pets. 

Many homeowners don’t realize they have mushrooms in their backyard due to the moisture.  Before letting dogs outside, check the backyard, if they’re growing, promptly remove them, they are toxic.  They tend to grow around rotting wood stumps too– so if trees were recently cut down but the stumps remained, look in those areas for mushrooms. 

Also, due to the storms, high winds can blow open gates or blow down sections of fences and dogs can escape.  The most frequent emergency seen by veterinarians is a dog or cat being hit by a car.  There are so many ways to prevent this tragedy.  Always check fences and gates after high winds and storms before letting dogs in the yard.  If there is a pet door and nobody is home during the day, install a padlock to the gate so it won’t blow open.  If the fence is questionable during high winds, lock the pet door until the fence can be secured against high winds or until someone is home to monitor the dogs.  Always be prepared for dogs to escape by having them microchipped by a veterinarian or local animal shelter.  Microchips last forever and dogs will be returned when they are scanned. 

Another problem we’re seeing with dogs and high moisture are the problems left behind when they dig at the foundation.  Dogs tend to stay cool by digging (or nesting) along the foundation of the house.  By doing so, dogs are creating negative drainage which creates puddling.  In Colorado, we have bentonite in our soils – it is a mineral that expands when wet.  It is imperative to keep moisture away from foundations by creating positive drainage (i.e. – the area around your foundation should be higher than any other part of your yard) so water literally runs away from the foundation.  When moisture is away from the foundation, bentonite will not expand and the foundation will not crack.  With a low spot or depression next to the house (the grade is towards the foundation rather than away from it), water will collect, bentonite will expand and the foundation could crack due to the moisture.

When dogs dig, they create a depression or negative pitch into the foundation.  This allows for puddling thus bentonite expands creating foundation problems.  Depending on the size of the crack, the cost of repairing a foundation can be at least twenty thousand dollars or more.  An easy solution to prevent this is to install chicken wire between the mulch and the ground (or if there is landscape fabric, install it on top of it).  When dogs dig at their favorite spot, their paws hit the chicken wire and they stop digging.  However, the sides of the chicken wire must be protected because they’re very sharp and dogs can cut themselves.  Seal the ends of the cut chicken wire with duct tape or roll it into the fabric and pin it down with fabric pins. 

Lastly, high moisture and standing water will attract mosquitoes.  Infected mosquitoes carry heartworm so be sure your dogs are taking their heartworm preventative medicine every month.  They usually start in spring and end in fall.  Be sure to check with your veterinarian.

Elizabeth will be contributing regularly to our blog, so stay tuned for more educational messages about living (and gardening) with dogs and other pets. Her next class takes place in August 2008- join us for a fun evening of conversation and problem-solving for dog-lovers!

“Our new puppy ate our yard.”
“Help! Our terrier cut himself on the edging.”
“My cat wants ‘outside.’ How do I keep her safe?”

If you find yourself empathizing with these comments, or have even uttered one or two of them yourself, you might be interested in a new book called “Paw-Friendly Landscapes: How to Share the Turf When Your Backyard Belongs to Barney,” by Elizabeth Bublitz. Bublitz, who is teaching a class next week at the Gardens on pet-friendly landscaping, is the owner of a unique landscape design company called “Paw-Friendly Landscapes” – reputedly the only company in Colorado that specializes in designing child- and pet-friendly yards. The quotes above are from her book; her excerpt continues, “Do any of these scenarios sound familiar to you? Have you found yourself wondering how your pets and your yard can harmoniously co-exist? The very existence of this book should be an indicator to you that 1) your pet is not uniquely “destructive,” and 2) you are not alone in your frustration and your desire to create a pawfriendly yard. As a professional landscaper and devoted animal-lover, I am so delighted to have found some solutions to your “backyard belongs to Barney” issues—and I’m even more excited to share my expertise with you. There is nothing more rewarding than someone who says, “We did not relinquish our dog because of our new pawfriendly landscape, which lets him have his freedom and allows us to enjoy, too!” Now you too, can create the best backyard for both you and your beloved pets!

Whether you have a 10-pound terrier, several 120-pound labs, or a clan of inquisitive kitties, these ideas are applicable and as easy to follow as the commands “sit, stay, roll over”! (Well, OK, if you can get a cat to “sit, stay, and roll over,” you need to write a book of your own!) You’ll learn the basics of having a beautiful backyard that makes everyone happy and safe in any climate. You will also learn about how to protect your pets from toxic houseplants and other hazards, how to keep your pups from “digging to China,” and more great tips on how to keep your landscape living…and livable. This approach to pawfriendly backyard space is inexpensive, attractive, and best of all, easy to install. There is hope, folks. And I’m here to share with you my ideas, success stories, and how-to advice on creating outdoor spaces with your pet’s safety and wellbeing in mind. Come along with me as we create the perfect backyard for you, and most importantly, your critters!”

To meet Elizabeth Bublitz, buy her book, and enjoy a warm and fun evening of discussion, slides and tips on how to make YOUR landscape more livable for your own furry friends, register for our class on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at Denver Botanic Gardens.