Pets in the Garden

By Mike Lang
Published on July 29, 2008
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iStockphoto.com/Jillian Pond
iStockphoto.com/Jillian Pond
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Darby and the garden don't mix.
Darby and the garden don't mix.
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SIDEBAR:
17 Plants to Beware

I’ve been questioned many times over the years about preventing pet damage in the garden. My answers have often been of a secondhand nature since I have been fortunate to adopt older, low-energy dogs. For example, Gracie, my 12-year-old setter, will make trips to every corner of the garden in a graceful fashion, making sure she never steps on even the smallest plants. But that all changed recently when Darby, an 8-week-old Border collie, was added to the equation.

Anything but careful in her traipsing, Darby on a garden stroll evokes images of an animated Tasmanian devil complete with swirling dust, wind and debris. In our household, it’s time to pull out the bag of tricks to keep the pet damage under control and allow Darby to remain man’s best friend. I know he’ll get the hang of it one day and with any luck at all, the dog and the garden will thrive well into the future.

Fatal attraction

The first thing to consider when introducing your pet to the garden is whether the plantings include any poisonous vegetation. This is especially true for young animals that are likely to chew just about anything. Destroying a hand trowel, hose, sprinkler or shoe is trivial compared to the cost of a veterinarian visit because of ingested English ivy or azalea foliage. Not all toxic plants need to be removed, but if you know which plants are potential problems for pets, you can correct the animal if it shows an unhealthy interest early on.

I have yet to find an all-inclusive list of poisonous garden plants, or the danger each poses to various animal species, but many common garden plants make the cut. For example, English ivy, boxwood, bleeding heart, yews, and even the foliage of horseradish are a few garden plants described as toxic (by ingestion) to pets. A search for poisonous plants on the Web, or from an extension office, is an eye-opening experience for any pet owner. Luckily, most dogs, cats and other pets likely to roam the garden aren’t interested in eating large enough quantities of vegetation to poison themselves fatally.

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