Poo's Corner
The corner area design to accommodate poo in Jennifer & Jim's garden. And no, poo is not the name of their dog.
This is my offering for the Garden Bloggers' Design Workshop - Pets in the Garden, hosted by Gardening Gone Wild.
I don't have much to offer when it comes to pets in the garden. I don't have any pets, unless you count my daughter's fish (which we're having much success with, by the way–none have died or eaten each other in at least three months.)
Cornelius' dog house, on Lancaster Avenue, matches his owner's house in style and colors. Photo by Don Zinteck.My wife is allergic to dogs, cats, feathers, algae and oxygen. She'd be most content if she lived in a plastic bubble. So, no pets for us. Or indoor bouquets of flowers for that matter. Okay by me. I save on not having to buy flowers. And pets, to care for them correctly, require work. I hate work.
I did grow up with pets – dogs, cats, hamsters, turtles, birds, and even, for a short time, a monkey. Haven't you always wanted a monkey?
I do have these two dog images and one great idea from gardens on Garden Walk Buffalo. The idea I found intriguing was this "potty area" for this gardener's dog, photo on top.
It's in an unobtrusive area of the garden between the corner of the house and a fence, underneath some trees, where not much would grow anyway. You'd have to know it was there in order to find it. Fortunately, it really only matters that their dog, a large german shepherd, knows it's there. They use it as a litter box, in that, on occasion, it has to be cleaned out a bit, it is a big dog after all.
This sculpture, found on North Pearl Street, I've always found to be funny. Photo by Don Zinteck.And look how nice they made it. It's bricked in, with decorative fence and formal plantings in stone planters. It's filled in with pea(pee?) gravel and surrounded by greenery.
It's the nicest outdoor bathroom I've ever seen. I should put together one like this for myself, so I don't have to run in the house with muddy shoes while working in the garden.
What a fantastic idea, Jim. Thanks ever so much for sharing this for the GGW Design Workshop. (But... pee gravel? That was really bad. Funny too, though!)
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea! My dogs (also German Shepards) would most likely refuse to use it, preferring my flowerbeds!
ReplyDeleteLOL! If only one could train a dog to do its business in one area. I tried to get mine to do it in the dog run, but they stubbornly insisted on doing it wherever they felt like. It's actually very attractive.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably nicer in its own way than many people's indoor facilities. And I think fish are the perfect pets for gardeners.
ReplyDeleteI have seen these types of areas before. And always bookmarked them in my mind, certainly a better alternative than cleaning up the entire lawn isn't it?
ReplyDeleteJen
Boy, if you got to have a poopin' place this would be it. Functional, practical and beautiful...at least around the border.
ReplyDeleteSeeing Eye puppies MUST be trained to poo in the same area everytime and on command. It isn't very difficult, just takes time.
ReplyDeleteLois
Hilarious. I don't what else to write. Just too funny.~~Dee
ReplyDeleteNan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for coordinating the Design Workshops. And the pee gravel? AS I've become a writer since starting this blog, I've found that we writers sometimes have to make the hard choice to pun, or not to pun. I found that punny.
Sheila,
Flower beds are good for litter boxes as well. Another reason why we don't have pets. Living in the city, we have enough of that in the front yard from dogs in the neighborhood.
Mr. McG's D.,
Oh, land mines scattered throughout the yard? Yet another reason not to have a dog.
Carol,
That's why I think I should do an area like this in my yard - for humans.
Muddy Boot Dreams,
Initially it'd be some work to set it up, and then there's the training. But, boy, wouldn't it solve lots of problems? For years?
Grace,
It's a primo poopin' place.
Lois,
I didn't think about that. The only seeing eye dog I know personally is retired. They make great pets too.
Dee,
Funny, yes, but poo is serious stuff.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteI love the puns!
Our greyhound "goes" way out in the meadow as far away from the house and garden as possible. We didn't train her to do this, she figured it out on her own. Bless her! :-)
Cameron
Wow--a monkey. I'm impressed! Even though we have a cat now, she compulsively separates the great outdoors from what goes on in the litter box. No need for poo's corner here... I agree with you on the sculpture. It's hilarious.
ReplyDeleteCameron,
ReplyDeleteYou have a gracious greyhound. Or one with a shy bladder.
lostlandscape,
A small squirrel monkey and it was only a few months–until we cuould no longer live with the chaos caused when he was out of his cage. I wouldn't recommend one. They smell. Bad.
Love the post, of course, except to answer your question, no, I've never wanted a monkey. I dislike them intensely. A penguin, yes. No monkeys.
ReplyDeletejodi,
ReplyDeleteThe line, "Haven't you always wanted a monKEY?" in addition to my curiosity is a line from the Barenaked Ladies song, "If I had a Million Dollars." Being Canadian, I figured you'd have caught that! They have no songs mentioning penguins, unfortunately.
Too funny. Count the allergies as a blessing!
ReplyDelete