Duke’s New Friend

Duke’s New Friend

Sampson

Duke has a new friend.  His friend doesn’t come around much but when he does Duke and him play around.  They play tag, but things are changing for his friend.  His friend is getting older and his hormones are starting to kick in. His friend also has a sister and they came by yesterday morning to visit me.  Duke was not out yet as he was still in bed fast asleep.  They were around for about an hour and then they both left.

His friend did come back later in the evening and Duke was outside.  My husband got to see his friend too and that was fun.  He allowed my husband to put out his hand and I am not sure if he let him touch him or not.  I can touch him and he also wanted to play with me too.  I did rub his back and tried to see what was on his sides.  They were just spots that he was shedding.  He liked being scratched between his ears.  I also rubbed his neck and he did enjoy that.

Duke and Sampson

If you haven’t been around my fb page or read any of my articles then you would not be guessing that what Duke’s friend is. He is a male deer.  His antlers are just coming in.  Last time that we saw him was the day of the big snow storm where we got 42 inches.  I don’t know where this deer sleeps.  I don’t even know if he and his sister sleep together.  I do know that someone raised them.  We have been told that and we also seen her walking through the woods with them. 

I think that I am going to call the male deer, Sampson.  I don’t want to call him anything and I fear for his life here in these big woods.  I know that they did not raise these deer on purpose or know what the dangers would be when they started growing up.  They should have called the local Wildlife Center and had them raise them in their sanctuary. 

Eating My Rose Bush

When he comes around now, I had to push him away from my rose bushes.  He was eating them like they were candy.  No I also know why I have a bare area in my garden that I have my Irisises and Lily of the Valley’s in.  He ate them all up.  Now a normal wild deer wouldn’t go near places that I have my pinwheels in, but he did.  It was so funny though when I saw him put his nose right down into the pinwheel and sniff it as if he was going to munch on it.  I don’t have much money to put into my vegetable gardens this year and maybe there is a good reason for that.  He and his little sister will eat it all up because they are not afraid of man or anything else.  They used to be afraid of the cats, but not this time.  He chased my one cat from the perimeter of the yard to the front deck.

Another thing that was hilarious was when my husband went outside and took Duke for his evening walk.  Sampson, was really into eating our grass and not paying much attention to anything else.  We may not need to cut the grass if Sampson and his sister come around more often.  Well my husband and Duke were about halfway down the road and Sampson lifted his head up and seen them and he took off running towards them.  That deer walked with my husband and Duke and even came back with them.  That was funny and so cute. 

We do have lots of wild deer that run and live here in these woods.  They are huge.  There were about 12 deer in a herd that ran across my yard and down into the ravine about a month ago.  They stood about 7 feet tall at the top of their head.  They were all females.  They were amazing.  They didn’t stop to make friends with anyone.  They were a herd just running through the woods.  Sampson and his sister will never run with the herd and I am afraid that they will eventually kill Sampson and his sister.  That is the way it is in the wild.

Sampson

Wildlife and Pets When Season's Change

What a morning!  I was sleeping quite comforting in my bed and here I hear a shrill sound in my ear.  I barely opened my eyes and here is Little Bits sitting next to me yelling at me to get her some food in her dish.  Oh there are other food dishes and they have food in them as well.  I told her that in an attempt to get more sleep.  She wouldn't have it. So I threw off my nice warm comforter and got out of bed.  By then she was in her favorite spot in my office on top of a box.  I grabbed her and she pitched a fit and scratched me and put holes in my arm.  I put her by one of the other bowls of food, but she wouldn't have that either.  Her and I had a time of it this morning.  She fled and hid somewhere in the house.  The other outdoor cats were waiting on their breakfast too and I had to fill up the bucket that I have in the house with cat food that we store in a large metal trashcan outside.

I feed Frederick first because his dish is on the back deck and he needs to be eating before the other cats on the front deck....so he doesn't fight them.  He is not fixed and we cannot even afford the discounted fee they have with Spay Today.  My husband wants me to take him to the animal shelter but I cannot see him being stuck in a cage for months until someone adopts him.  He has all his maleness and fights with my other male cat, Mikey...who has been fixed a long time ago.




I get all the cats fed and even fresh food in the dish that Little Bit's eats from.  I make my coffee in between all that hustle and bustle.  I get my first cup of that hot delicious wake me up further liquid.  The creamer that I use to get my brain to work is Peppermint Mocha.  It is true that Peppermint gets your brain started.

On my way to sit outside on my back deck and pet Frederick and I stand at the banister and look over and into the woods, when I hear a commotion going on in the woods.  I look hard to see what it is and then I hear the noise.  Turkeys!  A few of them it sounds like.  I try to see what they look like and how many there are, but alas I do not.  They were running down the ravine line and through the woods behind my house.  It only took a few minutes until I could hear them go down into the ravine in the back of my house, some 200+ feet to the small stream that divides the properties up and then silence.  I know if is Autumn now and the calendar doesn't have to be when the official start is.  Oh and the crows are back too!  They come and sit and cackle in the trees in the beginning of fall and then again in the beginning of spring.

Meanwhile Duke has gotten up and I didn't hear him.  Sometimes he is so quiet.  I tell Frederick that  I am going inside now and open the door and walk through to the living room to find a few turds on the floor.  This is the third time in about a week and a half that he has had uncontrolled bowel movements.  He is getting old and the last time that we took him to the vet she told us that we are just wanting to make him comfortable.  Of course I cried there.  That was about 4 months ago.  We decided that it would be time to put him down when he couldn't take his walks anymore.  That is going to be one sad day and I don't know how Charlie is going to react with that.  Charlie and He are almost inseparable at times.

The Season is changing rapidly here.  The trees are just about to change colors, but not just yet.  We have a couple of day or maybe even a couple of weeks before the get their amber, orange and scarlet colors.

I wonder what kinds of events we will have this coming fall season.

When you Got To Go, You Got To Go

Duke and Dennis in the Park 2014

My husband usually takes Duke for his nightly walks but tonight I went with them.  Instead of walking around the loop we took a right and went out towards to long road of Possum Hollow.  We take a leisurely stroll though as Duke is older and well I can't walk a long time either.  Oh I can if I really wanted too but it is my legs that bother me and they swell because of three old blood clots.

While we are walking Duke often sniffs lots of the foliage along the road and every so often he will go off into the ditch.  Hahaha!  We end up pulling him out of there.  He also likes to water those weeks that grow there.

It was so funny and I don't mean to gross anyone out but......We were walking past some houses and all of a sudden I turn around, I am usually in front of them, and find him dropping a load in the middle of the road. I start laughing.  Dennis didn't notice it at first and I had to tell him that Duke id taking a dump, right in the middle of the road.

Poor Duke, he has back problems and he really wasn't stooping down like he would normally.  Dennis tries to take him off to the side of the road, but the poop in just dropping as he is walking.  By the time that he got to the side of the road he was done doing his business.  We didn't have anything to scoop it up with.

We walked a little further and then turned around.  When we came to the poop in the middle of the road I began to smell it. Laughing Out Loud!  Dennis told me that he was going to roll up his windows tightly on his way out later and hoped the it didn't squish in the tread of his tires.  Laughing Out Loud as I am writing this.

Well, when you got to go, you got to go.

Know The Difference Between Stroke and Vertigo Vestibular Disease In Pets

What is Vertigo In Dogs And In Cats and What Are The Signs

Duke Allen 15 years old June 2015

This story happened about a year ago.  I had it on another site and now I have brought his story here.  Everyone should at least know what this insidious disease or condition is and learn the warning signs.

I thought that my dog was having a stroke. He was fine in the early hours when my husband takes him for a walk to do his business at 4:30 in the morning. By 6:30 in the morning he was trying to get up and had trouble getting up and staying up. His left eye was twitching and his pupil was going back and forth.

I got him to go outside because he had to pee. That was odd in itself because after he does his business at 4:30 in the morning he usually sleeps about 4 hours after that. Another thing that was odd was that he could not get out of the bedroom. Now, I heard him hitting the wall and did not pay any mind to it because he usually does that in his sleep when he is dreaming.

He has some arthritis in his back and I also just thought that he was stiff that morning. I also thought that rubbing and massaging the area would help him move a bit better. It did not do anything. So he went out and pee’d. It took me about 20 minutes for me to get him in the house. We have a ramp that goes from the driveway to the porch and it was hard fro me to guide him to the ramp. I did manage to get him on the ramp but then he fell over and fell of the other side of the ramp and landed up against the half barrel that the rose bush is planted in. I could not figure out how I was going to get him back on the ramp at that point. I thought for sure that we were going to lose him.

Finally I got him in the house and called the Veterinarian and ask them what the signs of a stroke are and explained to them what Duke was doing or going through. They told me to bring him in as soon as possible. So I called my husband at work and had to tell them that it was an emergency and that my husband had to come home right away because of Duke. So he came home and we took Duke to the Veterinarian. When we got there they did some blood work and examined Duke and came out and told us that he did not have a stroke. They told us that he had Vertigo or Idiopathic Vestibular Disease. It happens more so in cats than in dogs. Idiopathic means that they know not what it is from or what causes it. It is also the same as in humans. It is not transferable from humans to cats and dogs nor is it vice versa.

There is a resemblance to a stroke but that is a vascular problem and is very rare in dogs and cats. That is completely different than anything dealing with the Vestibular. Vestibular pertains to the part of the inner ear that controls balance.

Difference Between A Stroke And Vertigo

STROKE	VERTIGO
Unable to move certain muscles such as head or facial	Stumbling
Loss of eye movement on opposite side of brain that it has occurred	Motion Sickness
Looks as if they are drunk when walking	Eyes are moving back and forth or up and down or even round and round rapidly
Seizures	Going in circles
crossed eyes	Tilting of the head to one side
Twisting of head backwards or upwards	Difficulty controlling head and facial muscles
Tremors	Dizziness and Vomiting
body is rigid	If paw is bent backwards the animal will right it back.
When paw is bend backwards it will not straighten itself forward
Irreversible damage
Sudden onset that lasts between 24 to 72 hours.
Death within a couple of weeks

**This is why it is so very important to call your Veterinarian and get your pet there as soon as possible. They symptoms are so close that for owners it is hard to make a self diagnoses.

Some causes of vestibular disease are

Tumor

Middle Ear Infection

Brain Lesion

Idiopathic and or virus.

Treatments

Middle Ear is treated for up to 8 weeks with antibiotics. Surgery may be required to drain the infection from the tympanic bullae. Repeatedly cleaning of the ear can also cause such infection of the ear.

Tumor MRI and then surgery.

Idiopathic often just motion sickness (meclizine) medications are given. You can purchase these in a drug store. Over the counter is the most economical and the active ingredient is the same found in Bonine. The package says that it is "less" drowsy. It does not say that it is "non" drowsy. I got that wrong and yes it does make them sleepy and therefore they will not eat or drink. Keep your pet in a quiet and dark place and let your dog sleep as much as they want.

Natural Calming Substances

There are a few natural calming herbs that you can use for your dog or cat that is going through this very distressing disease/condition. The are:

Valerian, Camommile, Hops, Passionflower, Skullcap, for older dogs.

Other drugs that can be used are: Tryptophan, GABA can be used in overwhelmed dogs.

Feeding and watering Duke with a Turkey Baster

Vestibular Disease comes on quickly and it often leaves as quick as it came. Its course runs about a week with marked improvement each day.may take up to a week to heal. Though it took months for Duke to get out of this totally. This disease is the same as the one that humans get with the same causes, treatments,medications and duration. It is often more prevalent in older dogs and cats then in younger ones. In cats there has been an abundance of Idiopathic Vestibular Disease in the North Eastern United States.

Day 2 of Duke's Vertigo

Well this morning at 4:30 he was not going to move at all. He looked just like he did yesterday. It took all of the two of us to get him outside and then inside. Though he pee’d before he got off the ramp and that was what he needed to do. So I laid on the couch until he woke up, which was about 8:00. I somehow had to get a pill into him. It was the motion sickness pill. That wasn’t too hard because he could not move his head very far. I knew when he swallowed it by the smell on his breath…raspberry. That is a chewable one that tastes like raspberry. That was done and I felt that I actually accomplished something with him, even if it was small.

I had a very difficult time getting him outside. He worked against me all the way. Then he did what I did not want him to do and that was fall off the deck in the same way that he did the day before. He landed right down near that deck on the inside. I came back in the house to take a breather and then went right back out and I did get him out of there and into the yard. There is where I left him.

Drinking and Eating

Now I have a mountain to climb with him and that is to get him to drink and eat. I have tricks up my sleeve with that and thank goodness that I have lots of experience with that one. I have raised many kinds of animals and know many tricks to get them to drink and eat. So I looked around my house trying to find something that I could use to get some water in him and maybe some food as well. I know how to put food in a blender and make it almost liquid. Well I got my Turkey baster for that. It has a long enough tube to hold water or liquefied food in it and I am able to put it in the back of his mouth right in back of his teeth and I can squirt the water or food right down his throat. I just got some water down there. So that is done.

Tomorrow should be way better than today, but first let’s get through today.

Day Three

Well he drank some water all by himself last night and even ventured outside to do his business without falling all over the place.That was last night before we went to bed.

Today he wanted to go outside as soon as I came out of the bedroom, which was a very good sign. He even went outside without hurting himself or me pulling him out there. I was pleasantly surprised that he even got off the ramp without rolling over or losing his balance. Now he is sleeping in his most favorite spot in the whole world...under the deck. He still did not eat his kibble though. That is not surprising as he doesn't always eat that. I already gave him his motion sickness pill this morning and he is a bit drowsy with that. I will get him back him later today and then try to see if he will eat canned food right from the can. I hope that he does.

So far so good!

Update on Duke 9 months later

It took six months for Duke to get over his Vertigo and to begin to eat anything. We did end up making him people food, which was NOT table scraps as most people think of it. Table Scraps ARE bad for any pet and those cause some undesirable conditions for the pet. Often people associate anything that is called "people food" with something that is bad.

I made his some Chicken and Rice and added vegetables to it and it was his soup kind of thing. Then he didn't like things all mixed together and so I gave him his chicken a rice in his bowl and the vegetables on another plate. I come to find out that he just loves Rice! Silly dog. He never used to like it but now he wants some of the rice, that I make for us, too.

He still has his bouts with the arthritis and kicking out his leg once in a while and we have some pain killers for that from the Vet. Those are now considered a "controlled substance", but the good ole' FDA. Oh well, Duke doesn't get those that often anyway.

Dogs and Cats do get over this.  It is very scary and  horrible to watch and experience. It just takes lots of time and lots of patience and lots of love...and figuring out what they will eat because it will be different than what they liked before.

I get most of Dukes Meds and other stuff at 1800PetsMeds.

The next update on Duke is on my post  http://allmyanimaltales.blogspot.com/2015/06/news-from-allens-pets-june-14-2015.html

To learn more about Duke Read DUKE'S STORY

© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere

Homemade Dog Dumpling Recipes and How-To

Home-Made Dog Treats

Duke just loves these threats that I make him.  They are very easy to make and I can put anything that he likes or something nutritious in them.  They are like dumplings.

Here is how I do it:

Preheat the oven to what it says on the can of biscuits.

I take out a can of biscuits and let them sit out for about an hour or two so that they are pliable.

Then I put each one on a buttered surface.  Spray oil works the best because you are going to need it.  Then I spray the top of the biscuit too.  I roll them as flat as I can.

I use one of those little dumpling makers now.  I used to put the filling in the center of the flattened biscuit and roll them up and pinch the ends so the filling didn’t come out.

Put the dough on the dumpling maker or roll the dough out as flat as you can.

Peanut Butter Carob Dumplings

Add about a half a teaspoon of peanut butter.   

Add 4 Carob chips.  NEVER give your Dog or Cat Chocolate.  The can have CAROB though.

Fold the dumpling make in half and then put the dumpling on a buttered cookie sheet.

Cranberries and Carob Dumplings

Add 4 dried cranberries and 4 carob chips to the center of the dumplings

Directions:

Bake the dumplings in the oven for the time it tells you to bake the biscuits.  Turn then over. 

Turn the heat down to about 250 degrees and bake for about an hour or until the dumplings are as hard as you would like.  These do need to be refrigerated.

Duke likes them not hard like a Milk Bone biscuit, but not soft as a dinner biscuit.  He even goes into the kitchen when he thinks it is time to have a couple of them.  Remember Duke is a 85 pound dog and needs a few of these to satisfy him, but smaller dogs will do just fine with one or even as small as a half of one.

© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere

I researched and wrote this article. Please do not copy and paste any part of this article, picture included for your own use. I will find you and report you for stealing.  It is my right to change any information therein at any time and/or change the location of my article. 

Sidney and Nikki

I am going to start at the beginning.  Beginnings are always a best place to start.  His beginning started OK, I am guessing.  He had a loving woman that took care of him when he was a kitten, got his shots and then got him neutered.  I was all good for him.  He did get that great start in life that all cats should get.

Then, the not-so-good part...  For some reason she had to give her cat up.  She gave him to a couple that had a 5 year old son and this son loved this cat.  All good, right?  Not so good.  He was loved(?) but was kept in a garage to live because the owner said that he did not have the time for him.  My question was then why did you take him in.  Oh I did not ask him that, I was too upset what he did before that. 

Sidney was dumped on us.  I had just told my husband that I could not take care of anymore cats.  I already have 5 and that was enough.  These people need some Karma to come back on them for what they did.  It was not only about their cat, but also their dog and that is how we met Sidney.

One day in December of 2014 there was a commotion in our yard and I went to the door to see what it was all about.  Well I found out when I looked out my French doors on my back deck.  Now you have to come up quite a few steps to get to that.  There was a very excited tan and white dog out there.  I tried to get it, but it ran back down the steps and so I went out the front door to look for it.  That was when I found Mikey, who isn’t afraid of much out here in these woods, up a tree.  He has never been treed like that.  I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to get back down since the tree didn’t have that many branches low to the ground.

I finally got a hold of the dog.  I found out that she had tags on a color.  I looked at the tags and well she wouldn’t hold still long enough for me to take a look at the tag to see who she belonged too.  You see I live at looks like a dead end.  I live off of a loop that runs at the bottom of the road that my road is jutting off of.  Many strays and drop-offs have come here.  They know they will be treated right and with respect.  Duke was not outside and I put her on Dukes rope.  I had to shorten it by many feet as his rope is about 80 feet long.  She was there for a couple of hours until my husband came home.  Then I brought her inside. 

Cats flew everywhere as she was not accustomed to them.  It was not as if she was going to hurt them.  She wanted to play with them, but they did not want to play with her.  She was way too excited of a dog and cats don’t usually like that much activity.  She tried to play with Duke; he liked it a little bit but not too much.  Heck Duke is 15 years old and he does not do well with play at this age. 

We finally were able to see what tags that she had on and called the veterinarian that she got her rabies shot with.  They would not give us a name or number to call.  They called the persons directly and then gave them our number.  Anyway, they could not get off of work and so, being the kind lady that I am, told them to take their time.  Really there was no rush.  She was beautiful and her name was Nikki.  So that was a good thing and I called her by her name.  She was part husky and part wolf.  I could see that clearly.  I talked to the lady who called us first and she told us all kinds of things about her.  She told us that she was 5 years old and that she gets out of the fenced in yard all the time.  Well that was a RED Flag.  I have never seen this dog before running around the woods or the roads and neither had my husband.  She definitely was not 5 years old either.  She was younger than that and that was based on her activity level.  The lady talked about a cat that she was going to be taking to the pound and dropping off.  The pounds are always full of cats and I knew that he would be put down.  Many of them are around here.  These kinds of people do not respect their animals.  That is how I get so many strays.  I told her that I loved cats and dogs and all the strays and will not turn them away.

The man and his 5 year old son and their other senior dog all come to pick up the dog a few hours later.  My husband was on-call that night and had to leave before he got here.  It was all good, or so I thought.  I will get to that later.  He picked up the dog and put her in his truck.  We talk a few and the little boy asked all kinds of questions.  He was cute.  Then he brings in a large, actually huge crate with his cat in that they did not want anymore.  I could not turn it away and he told me that I could keep the crate and all the towels that Sidney was laying on.  Let me tell you this cat was traumatized.  I will write how he has done in the next blog.  I just want to bring you up from the first time that I met Sidney.

A few nights later Nikki comes to the back door again.  So I call the number that we have for the owners several times and leave about three messages that their dog is here and they need to come pick her up.  They finally called back and it was the man and he told me that he never owned a dog and just moved in there a few months ago.  My husband got really upset.  He walked to the house where Nikki lived and knocked on the door.  There were cars in the driveway and the same one that they came and got Nikki in the first time.  My husband came back home with the dog.  They would not answer the door.  He also said that the gate was wide open and a broom held it so that it could not close.  What the lady before told me is that they do that and she will come back home and they find her on the back porch in the morning.  Another Red Flag and both my husband and I both saw this and we were in agreement with this.  After we ate dinner my husband walked to dog to the owner’s house.  They only live about 5 houses up the road.  He caught the guy standing in the driveway. I did not know of all the conversation that went on but when my husband came home he was livid and he told me that if he wasn’t a nice guy that he would have punched the guy in the face. 

The next day my husband tries to get in touch with the Humane Society and tell him the story of Nikki and that something should be done.  I don’t know how this all ended up but we never was able to get in touch with them.  I have not seen Nikki since and I do hope that she has a loving home now.  I hope that she was not hit by a car or left to fend for herself as a drop off someplace else.

Now back to Sidney and that will be in my next blog.

© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere

I researched and wrote this article. Please do not copy and paste any part of this article, picture included for your own use. I will find you and report you for stealing.  It is my right to change any information therein at any time and/or change the location of my article. 

What Children Learn When They Have A Pet
 

Children learn lots about life when they are allowed to have a pet. Parents and children alike learn lots about having a pet in the home. It is a wise choice to raise a pet in the home for everyone. Besides all this there is lots of fun and companionship that is shared throughout the life of the pet and the life of the child.

In this article I will discuss 5 things a child and the parent's as well learn from owning a pet.

*Responsibility*

The first thing that they learn is Responsibility. They are responsible for taking care of this pet. They are responsible to make sure it is healthy and loved and put above their needs. It also gives the child something they feel they can control. Most children are controlled by someone else such as parent's teachers and the like. To learn and to grow they also need to have a feeling of some kind of control in their own lives. This is returned with lots of love and kisses and hugs and companionship that will last the pet’s lifetime and will be remembered for the child's lifetime.

*Sharing* 

A child will learn to share themselves, their food, their hurts and pains and will do this often. It is a good way to get the child to begin to understand that sharing is a thing that is needed to help others. It is especially important if there is only one child in the family. Sharing is so important for society to work and this is the very beginning of that.

Sharing also comes back from the pet. Dogs and cats will sleep with the child and will be there to comfort the child when they are sick. Some pets have been known to appear when the child is at death's door. Sharing is always a good thing to learn.

 *Patience* 

Patience is a hard one to learn for children. It is hard because children don't have much of this. They are at the stage that everything needs to be on a NOW basis. Ha-ha, much like some people in society can't wait something out for something better to come along. When training a pet it is paramount that the child be patient. Pets don't learn the same as humans and the child gets a sense of that.

A pet has patience too in that it will wait diligently by the door for the child to come home from school. For a while at least until the pet learns the timing and when the child will come home. They will wait patiently for feeding time. When the child does re-appear they are given lots of tail wagging kisses and hugs in return and reward for coming home to them.

*Caring* 

Some pets need more caring than others. Dogs and cats need brushed often so that their coat is shining and healthy. All pets need touch and pet as well as humans and this is the way they can have that in each other’s lives. When the pet becomes ill they need some extra caring. They may be on meds or have a bandage that needs taken care of and the child should learn how to do this. In that respect the parent's teach the child to do this and therefore makes this a family affair. I am not sure on the statistics of this but in my observation a child with a pet is more stable and treats others better or more equal than those who haven't owned a pet.

Get a pet and teach them both about the goodness of sharing, caring, patience, responsibility companionship and most of all the love they can stand and more. It doesn't have to be a cat or dog. Fish also give these same qualities and can be trained too as well as Reptiles, Hamsters, Mice, Gerbils, farm animals and birds. It all comes down to the way we treat our pets is the way we will treat other humans in this world.

© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere

I researched and wrote this article. Please do not copy and paste any part of this article, picture included for your own use. I will find you and report you for stealing.  It is my right to change any information therein at any time and/or change the location of my article. 

Protecting Your Pets With Fencing

Today you can see many different types of fences and pen for animals from Horses, Cattle to Sheep and Dogs.  Many people who have animals want to house them in for protection and some want to keep other animals from coming in.  Deer are one of those animals as well as raccoons, opossums, bear and the like.  Some use their animals to protect them and so need a place to keep them. 

There are many kinds of fences that you can use to give them room to roam and protect them from predators.  

While Wooden Fences are still good and cheap there are newer types of fencing now available such as Invisible and Electric.  In this article I will discuss the different fence structures, the best types of wood to use and some other odds and ends pertaining to your animal’s security and fences.

Zig Zag Fence used on Battlegrounds
This one is used as a Garden Accent.

To start here is a bit of interesting trivia on fencing:  In Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and other heavily wooded states the normal fence was made from the trees they fell to clear the land.  The portable Wattle type fence was used to keep their small livestock in like pigs and sheep and it was easily built using small saplings. In 1870 woven wire and Barbed wire fencing became popular for the cattle and sheep herders in the mid-west where there were no trees.  This type of fence was easy to install and was the most economical.

Types of Wooden Fencing Suitable for Animal Pens:

Stockade:  The highest security with a fence you can get.  Your animals will be totally safe from the outside and the outside cannot come in.  There are even several topper types available to add décor.

Split Rail Fences are usually two rails high are very pretty and are cheap.  You can make them higher than the basic 2 rails according to the size of your animals which you wish to fence in.  Giant sized dogs such as; the Black Russian, Great Pyranees, Mastiffs, Irish Wolfhounds, Newfoundlands and the like.  Ponies would also fit into this type of fencing. I have seen chicken wire or other wired fencing attached to the inside of that split rail.  It looks pretty and is durable.

Picket:  Very cute and country looking and will keep in smaller animals and dogs.

All of the above fences require posts to be put into the ground.  Each fence type requires a certain length between the posts.  For instance: Wired fencing posts should be spaced between 14 and 16 feet apart, if in a straight line.  For wooden fencing it is wise to space the poles between 5 and 8 feet apart.  If going around a curve space the poles closer together for more stability.  When planning to build your fence of this type you will want to choose the best trees or lumber that lasts the longest for your needs. Pressure treated last the longest in all these woods. Be sure to treat the wood that will be below ground with Creosote or other wood preservers.

Here is a listing the life expectancy of treated and the most popularly trees used.

·        Birch, will last 10-20 years.

·        Black Locust will last approximately 20-30 years and does not need to be treated.

·        Cedar, will last 20-30 years

·        Oak, 15-20 years.

·        Pine, will last 20-30 years

·        Redwood lasts 20-30 years.

Note:  If you think that your dog will dig under it or an animal will get into your chicken or rabbit pen. This is what you can do to prevent that from happening.  Dig a 2 foot trench and bury some chicken wire between the posts.  Very Course Steel Wool works too for a smaller fenced area.   

Other Types of Fencing used to contain animals

Barbed Wire:  I have seen this on Livestock farms.  I have also seen it added to the top of wooden type fences such as Stockade and wood framed Woven Wire.  I guess it would depend on what kinds of outside things you want to deter from jumping or climbing over your fence.

Woven Wire including Chicken Wire:  I have seen the metal posts holding these woven wires up.  You will need a fence stretcher to get these types of fence tight.  They have an apparatus that helps you sink in those posts that looks similar to a really deep cup.  You put the cup over the top of the post and slam it down several times until the post is as deep as it needs to be.

Chain Link:  You can get this type as high as you need it and it is very durable and will last for years.  There are also strips of metal that you can thread through the links for privacy.

This is just my opinion but I hate seeing a dog in one of those small enclosed chain link fences.  Dogs weren’t made to be kept in them.  Try sitting in one yourself out there in the elements.  If you want to protect your land then please get something that doesn’t need to be loved, cuddled, neither fed nor needs water or human contact to do its job.  There are many home security systems out now that can do anything from a basic package of an alarm system to taking pictures or movies when you are not at home or are sleeping.    

Electric:  This is on posts attached with insulators and a main electric box, similar to a small transformer.  You can have 2, 3, 4, or 5 lines on these poles. Touching the wire will give off a bolt of electricity to whatever hits it. You can purchase all the equipment you need for these at Tractor Supply on the right side of this page. Don't make these mistakes: http://www.ibiblio.org/farming-connection/grazing/features/fencemis.htm

Invisible:  These run underground so no one sees the fence.  A special collar is put on your animals and when they get close to the fence line the collar emits an electric signal letting them know not to cross over that line.  These are perfect for those who live in neighborhoods that do not allow physical fencing.  These can also be purchased at Tractor Supply on the right.

For Fences for a great looking Garden please visit Garden Fences

© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere

I researched and wrote this article. Please do not copy and paste any part of this article, picture included for your own use. I will find you and report you for stealing.  It is my right to change any information therein at any time and/or change the location of my article.