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bkay2000

Cleo did it again

bkay2000
9 years ago

I got up Friday morning to this. The dogs were up all night barking, so I figured my neighbor's Rottweiler's were out again. They get out, but never leave the alley. They just go back and forth and visit all the dogs on our street. I was wrong.

I'm guessing it was whatever has been walking/sleeping in my Invincible and f. aureomarginata. They were broken/stepped on at the end of Invincible's bloom.

The only wildlife we have are squirrels, raccoons and possums. Of course, it could have been a cat. The dogs weren't hurt, so whatever it was it must have been young.

I'm sure glad it's September. If it was May, Cleo might be confined to the house for the summer.

bk

The lovely Cleo

Comments (20)

  • BungalowMonkeys
    9 years ago

    Awww! Those ears are cracking me up. She is so stinking adorable! What is she?

  • DelawareDonna
    9 years ago

    Bad doggie! I love the "who me?" look on Cleo's face! It doesn't look like too many of the hosta were up rooted or seriously damaged so that's a good thing.

    The damage doesn't come close to what the deer did to my garden this year - I HATE DEER but I like doggies - so Cleo stays!!

    DD

  • bkay2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yeah, Cleo stays. Maybe in the house, though. She's a rescue, so we don't know exactly what kind of dog she is. She's some kind of sight hound mix. Whomever owned her put her in the city animal shelter night cage. They have about 10 cages where you can just leave a dog. She was left. DH fell in love with her from the video on the net. It was the ears.

    She can run like the wind. As long as it's not hot, she can run and run and run. I bought a scooter to take her running. I bought a bicycle first, but she pulled me down a couple of times, so I had to get a more powerful machine.

    Six or Seven hosta were pretty beat up. Invincible and f. aureomarginata got the worst of it. One of my Bridegrooms was dumped out totally. I just did my best to get them back in the pots straight. Some I had to add a bunch of soil, so I'm not sure how much root damage they got.

    Our first killing frost is usually about November 15, so they have about 8 weeks to recover. I gave them a light fertilizing with root stimulator and hope they recover.

    bk

    Cleo's scooter

  • gardenfanatic2003
    9 years ago

    The only way that could've been a cat is if it was chasing something. Cats aren't that clumsy or destructive. I bet you were visited by Ricky Raccoon.

    Deanna

  • User
    9 years ago

    BKay, strange that it should happen with you around the same time it happened to me.

    I've noticed for the last week all my mulch is dug up, something just going to town digging in it, and mostly in the areas where that dratted synthetic stuff is laid beneath the much. I've tried to relate it to the pecan trees. The bagworms seem to be dying in the trees, their nests are falling down, and I'm assuming that means there are bag worm migrating down the treetrunks into the soil as grubs or worms or some life form. And, I know that the moles and voles like to eat those things. So there could be a whole infestation of moles and voles--only I've never seen a vole down here at all. Just the small gray moles. As long as they are after worms or such and have no designs on the hosta, I can tolerate the foraging for eewwwie life forms.

    Actually there has been a scarcity of squirrels due to the hawk and owl having us on their dining out list. But the signs this morning were that something is going into my hosta pots. Several were dug out, some tumped over, but very few showed signs of squirrels eating the green pecans.

    I'm about to try a spray of castor oil and dish detergent over the entire mulched area. Supposed to rid one of moles/voles, forget where I found the remedy.

    My two girls, Dixie and Dolly Doxie dig some but not the wholesale rooting up my entire mulched garden. Something is foraging, and not playing around. First time this has happened to my knowledge.

    Hope all your hosta make a quick recovery with no compromising their happy dormancy.

  • bkay2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I was definitely Cleo and Fuzzy. They were after whatever was under the bleachers at 3:00 AM. DH went out and made them come inside one time, but didn't close the doggie door. So, they went back. It never occurred to me it was something like that. Like I said, I thought my neighbor's rotties were out again.

    Oh well, it's September. The bleachers are going after this year. I have to find some shade and some hosta space, though. The workshop is finally done, so I have that porch to work with.

    bk

  • almosthooked zone5
    9 years ago

    Yesterday our male daschund Leo chased and barked all day in and around all my flowerbed andi just let him go to town but of course never caught him ; I am sure Mr Squirrel was tossing apples out of our tree to try to hit the dog. As per luck, It doesn't look like the hosta got a beating but Leo can hardly walk today. I guess I will have to put a stop to this because he is in lots of pain today and the little twirp growls at me as if it were my fault. We do love our pets, don't we?! Even after all the pain he is going through, you mention the name squirrel and he seems to just come alive again. Crazy hunters we have

  • don_in_colorado
    9 years ago

    "CLEEEEEOOOOOOOOOO"!!!

  • bkay2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Exactly.

    And the thing is, you can't punish her for something she did hours ago. She has no idea what she's in trouble for.

    bk

  • santamiller
    9 years ago

    She saved the day (or rather the night) by protecting your hostas from dangerous critters that could have caused great damage. It's Super Cleo!

  • bkay2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I like it, Santa. It's a really good "reframe".

    bk

  • bkay2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Deanna, I thought it was probably a possum. I would think a raccoon would hurt them. They kept barking until DH made them come in. Probably whatever it was escaped at that time, or it was on the other side of the fence, baiting them. Fuzzy kept barking, though. She barks at shadows.

    I don't think I want another Chihuahua. I'll keep this one, but I hope she's the last. (Never say never.)

    bk

  • bkay2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    It was a possum. They caught it this morning.

    bk

  • BungalowMonkeys
    9 years ago

    Hopefully they didn't bring it to you like one big slobbery gift did they? My dog does that. Drives me nuts and you can't get mad at her since she is doing good. The other day I was finishing the planks on the fence and she brought me a huge mole. Dropped it right on my shoe. Was one of the rare occasions I wasn't in flipflops.

  • hostatakeover swMO
    9 years ago

    I recognize that facial expression. That's the same one I've seen on my dog when she destroys something.

    "Thank God you're home! Did you see what the neighbor's cat did?"

  • bkay2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    We thought the possum was on the way to the great beyond. Three dogs had been harassing a "dead" possum for a while. When we went out, it was still breathing, so it was too soon to put it in a bag and trash it. So, we threw it over the fence. It recovered some. Eventually, it stood in the alley for a long time looking tough. Eventually, it went away. I really hope it doesn't come back.

    Cleo has killed two little ones previously. They were eating at the compost pile. This was a big one. We no longer have a compost pile, so hopefully they will go find greener pastures.

    bk

  • don_in_colorado
    9 years ago

    "Good doggie!"

  • bkay2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    You're right Don. I just gave her a pat and a "Good Doggie".

    The hosta will recover.

    bk

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    9 years ago

    Sounds like the possum was, ah, playing possum. I'll never forget the frantic call from my wife saying the dogs killed a possum in the back yard. I calmly asked if it was playing possum and after a long pause on the phone she went back to look and it was gone. They are always groggy coming out of it.

    tj

  • bkay2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I just hope it keeps moving.

    bk