Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - [NAFEX] Get a Dog

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: nottke <nottke1@earthlink.net>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Get a Dog
  • Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 18:46:16 -0400

Shortly after moving to rural North Carolina 7 yrs ago I got two cats to
control the many mice, rabbits, and chipmunks in and around the gardens,
house, greenhouse, corncrib, barn, and smokehouse and they do a great job
at that. I had several resident large constrictor snakes (Corn, Black and
Rat) but they did not keep the population of small rodents down to the
level I wanted. I still keep a few traps set under the house and every
October I catch one or two mice, but that is about it.

For a few years I tried to keep deer, groundhogs, raccoons, and stray dogs
away from the orchard, gardens, and chickens with fencing, nets, and cage
traps. Groundhogs were the worst because they did the most damage by far.
No method worked very long even though I was living in a fortress of wire
and fencing. So I got a very large and fast Black Lab, trained him to live
with chickens, horses, and cats, but to chase everything else away. It has
worked very well. My only regret is that he keeps the snakes away as well;
I have not been able to teach him to tolerate snakes.
To my knowledge the only groundhog he killed was a huge male that decided
to take him on last year. I see a number of groundhogs in the nearby
hayfields, on the local roadsides, and as roadkill, so I know they are
still around, but I am no longer sharing my food with them. I just have to
feed one big Black Lab.

Jim Nottke
Pfafftown, NC
Hardiness Zone 7A






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page