I'm asking because I found a big mushroom in our backyard yesterday. This thing sprang up overnight...I am out back at least once a day, and very suddenly, there it was.

I am concerned, as always, about the dogs. We have retrievers, who are notorious for exploring their world orally. While most mushrooms are not poisonous, some are deadly, and I haven't the faintest idea how to tell the difference. :(

I have been googling since I found it, and haven't found anything comforting or helpful. It seems that you really have to be an expert to identify them.

I dug it up and poured a little bleach in the area where the roots/mycelia were, because that's all I had handy at the time and it seemed like a good idea to bleach a fungus. ?

I would take it to Ag Extension to see if they could ID it, but they are all staffing the MG state fair booth right now.

I know this probably seems like a big to-do over a mushroom, but I am just very protective of the dogs. When you have Labs, you sometimes have to protect them from themselves, if you know what I mean. ;)

These mushrooms seem to be very abundant in our neighborhood. They are tall (6" or better), very white (this one looked like a golf ball on a tee), with a thick fleshy stem (about the diameter of my thumb or larger). I think it had a heavy mat of roots/mycelia underneath...I don't think I got it all when I dug it. They seem to grow singly.

I thought maybe one of you had some experience with eliminating and/or identifying mushrooms and might know where to point me for advice. Thanks! :) Any help or advice would be appreciated greatly!

http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/

I still can't ID my mushroom, though. They all look just alike to me.