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market-farming - Re: Finding a farm dog. . .

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  • From: "Marlin Burkholder" <glenecofarm AT planetcomm.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Finding a farm dog. . .
  • Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2002 21:32:25 -0800



----- Original Message -----
From: Alliums <garlicgrower AT earthlink.net>


> Hi, Folks!
>
> I have completely had it with the deer at the community garden, so I've
> been thinking about getting a dog to run them off ...
> so I have to get a dog that won't mind being fussed over by small
children at the drop of a hat. Since the dog will live at my > house, it
also have to be nice to my two cats.

We always have used mutts for this purpose. Any kind will do as long as it
behaves reasonably well with children. Most mutts seem to fit this
requirement if there are enough women and kids around to treat them right
and to let them into the house when a thunderstorm comes up. They just
learn to avoid guys like me who are a little bad to pick on them
ocassionally.

We have lots of deer around here. It's not unusual at all to walk up on the
hilltop hayfield above my house and see herds of them. I see their tracks
all the time in the market garden but I seldom see the deer themselves in
the garden. They've never done us serious damage beyond a few nibblings
here and there and a few holes punched in plastic mulches. I'm inclined to
think just having the dog following us around the garden as we work leaves
behind enough scent that deer will not hang around long if they do pay us a
visit. The dog doesn't really have to do a thing but be a pot licker.

It's not hard at all to find someone who needs to find a good home for their
dog when circumstances demand that they change their living arrangements.
These kind of dogs can often be had for free or not much of anything. Just
make sure that you get a male. If you get a "gyp" or "bitch" you will find
yourself hosting all the neighbor's dogs about once every six months and
about two months later she will present you with a litter of pups. You
don't want that. Guess who used to get the job of pup disposal around here?
That does get old after awhile.

You will want to have a friendly farmer neighbor who owns livestock and can
be talked into using his rubber bander castration tool to fix your newly
acquired male dog. Better yet if he will just loan you the tool and let you
do the job yourself. It is simple and easy enough to do that you can't
justify spending the $100 or more you will likely spend by having this done
at a veterinary clinic. I think castration mutes some of the more
aggressive inclinations of a male dog and turns them into a good kid's dog.
I've even done this to a couple of tomcats. Now that is a little more
challenging. :>).

Marlin Burkholder APS








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