Not too long ago I posted an article about the dangerous Sago Palm. You can read it here. I did quite a lot to help reduce the risk of my girl Sasha eating one of the seeds or leaves of this lovely but deadly tree. I had some cheap willow branches as a tiny makeshift fence to further the “no fly zone” mentality in the heart and mind of my pup. I have also trained her to stay out of all of the beds and gardens. Quite well I may add, she is such a good dog! Who’s the good dog? She is!
When other dogs come by for play dates and shenanigans, they are not so obedient. The last visitor jumped right on in to the hot zone with no trouble at all. Now, I don’t want anyone’s animal to get hurt, but I also don’t want to cut down the tree or make a large fenced area around it either. Both would be unsightly to me.
So, when I set out this morning to do some repairs to the willow fencing, I decided to add a little teeny tiny picket fencing as well. I also added quite a lot of wood stakes all around to make it a bit more solid and stable.
This is all well and good for my aesthetic purposes, and should prove enough of a barrier to keep my well trained Sasha out of harms way. But what of the untrained guests? There are a few puppies as well as a few friends of mine that would be in there in an instant sniffing and chewing whatever they find. For that, I use some chili pepper flakes mixed with regular pepper. I sprinkle it all around so when an animal (or wayward friend) goes sniffing, they get a slap in the face with a powerful spicy blast. Works well and lasts for a few months depending on the rainfall.
The fence itself is also secured better with aluminum wires tied to the stakes. Now you can give it a gentle kick without it flying all over. I decided to test this out on Sasha by putting one of her bones in there to see if she’d go after it. I’m sneaky like that.
Mission successful! I quickly retrieved her bone and gave it back to her receiving much praise in the process. I’m not a fan of people that tease their dogs, not even for a minute so I didn’t want to torture her any further. Side note: please don’t ever tease your dog! It’s cruel and will only serve to get you deservedly pooped upon.
So, mini project was a success and now I can rest a little bit easier.
Adorable! Both the mini fence and sweet obedient Sasha.
Thank you my love, although I can think of one who is more adorable than that;)
I admire uour ingenuity James. Any tips for keeping next doors cat from pooing on my lawn????
My initial thought: leave a plugged in toaster on the lawn at night and get a motion sensor water sprayer (they have those on the interwebs) . Not responsible at all, yet the most entertaining option.
I had all manner of stray cats in my yard. Pooping on the lawn so Sasha could eat it up. When I stepped in the poop barefoot, I had had enough. I did the following. First I planted Cat Scram, peppermint, spearmint and lavender in several perimeter spots where they were coming in. Then I set a live animal trap in the areas I didn’t want them to go. Like the lawn in the back yard where they were pooping. I lured them to the lawn and then… POP! Caught in the trap. If they were female and clearly feral, I called animal control for spaying. If they were male and particularly cagey or too small I would make a lot of racket, grab the cage and release them back into the vacant lot from whence they came. They remember the panic and fear they felt. I never hurt them, I just moved quickly and made no effort to calm or comfort them. They never came back.
There was one male that I caught twice that I thought was pleasant enough and also big and strong. I gently cooed to him before releasing him gently and quietly. We developed trust.
He now runs the neighboring houses, has a few girlfriends and keeps rats away from my property. He doesn’t poop in the yard at all and keeps all other cats away. He visits me directly about once a month. We have an arrangement.
Problem solved.
So, you can either find a way to master this beast, or plant strong smelling things on your perimeter. Like mint varieties, cat scram or lavender. Or do both like I did.
There is the motion detection sprinkler too. Can’t vouch for it but it seems like it could work. Just leave the toaster in the kitchen.
Your tree is looking real great! I was glad to see it again, after I remember how you had to cut it back some time ago. Clever work as well to keep the dogs from eating any part of the tree. Wishing you a wonderful New Year, full of interesting experiences.
Thank you my dear! I hope you had a wonderful New Years filled with warm friends and family. It’s true that the Sago Palm was aggressively attacked by my machete and shop vac. I am also glad that it pulled through the surgery so well and so quickly.
I think I know who that daring last visitor was! Tsk tsk. The new fence looks great. Sasha looks great. Just let me know when you want me to bring Noe by to test out the hardiness of the new fence!
I didn’t want to name names. But yes, it may have been Noe. She’ll bounce off of the fence now. But can easily jump over it with her skills.