Mud, Bunnies, and Blooms: A Dog-Owner’s Survival Guide to Spring
Oh, the joys of Spring!
Mud!
Bunny nuggets!
More mud!
Mower thunder!
Mud!
Actual thunder!
Mud!
You may get the impression that we’re not fond of the season. We actually love it. But we’re not blind (or deaf) to the issues, either.
We’ve already seen increased rabbit activity in the yard. It never ceases to amaze us that rabbits choose our yard to hang out in. It’s got to smell like dogs live here. Yet there they are in the middle, just waiting to play “Chase me!” with our dogs. Over the years the rabbits have notched the most wins. But there have been a couple times their luck ran out. We hate those incidents.
Creating a Dog-Safe Backyard Sanctuary
Our theory for why wildlife loves our yard is the fact it’s dog safe. Which makes it all-animal safe. No chemicals, no fertilizer, no mulch, no nothing. If it’s short and green, it’s allowed to stay. Does it bear any resemblance to a typical suburban putting-green manicured lawn? No it does not. It gets poop-patrolled daily, there’s no rubbish, no low-spot puddles, and nothing toxic growing. It’s good enough for us.
We understand that most people truly enjoy gardening and landscape tasks. We wish we were among them. We admire people with beautiful, colorful gardens. We hope they’re paying attention to their dogs’ well-being.
Common Spring Garden Toxins for Dogs
Dog people are aware of the problems with garden chemicals like pesticides and herbicides. Even if your lawn doesn’t get treated, it’s in the air and all over the neighborhood. It’s time to restore the package of baby wipes to its position near the door. It’s the most convenient way we’ve found to make sure all those paws get wiped when they come in. Also, mud.
Aside from the chemical load, dog people also have to be aware of the organic garden additions that may cause issues. Both Bone Meal and Blood Meal (popular organic fertilizers) can cause problems for dogs. They smell great to dogs, but can cause blockages or pancreatitis.
Most dog people know that chocolate is toxic for dogs. Some may not realize that cocoa mulch carries the same toxin, theobromine. When you’re looking to mulch your garden, make sure you’re not spreading poison.
For our smaller companions, being so close to the ground means they’re inhaling those lawn chemicals and pollen even more directly than a Great Dane would.
Are Your Spring Flowers Dog-Safe?
When we did have a fleeting idea to plant some perennials (most bang for the least work), we found out that many of the most popular Spring flowers are, you guessed it, toxic for dogs. Including all our favorites: Tulips, Iris, Hyacinths, Daffodils, Crocuses, and Lilies. We cheat a little bit. We have a small, fenced-off area that has Crocuses, Ferns (actually non-toxic, yay!), and Lilies of the Valley (highly toxic). The Crocuses are sending green shoots up now. It’s our hopeful sign of Spring.
For most people, it would be backwards that the plants have a small fenced-off area and the dogs have the rest of the space. It works for us and our withered-brown-thumb gardening prowess. If you have some idiots-can’t-kill plant recommendations, we’d love to hear them. Especially if they’re okay for our dogs to “sample” in the yard.
What are your go-to 'idiot-proof' and 'dog-proof' plants? Or better yet, share your best tips for winning the Battle of the Muddy Paws in the comments!