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It was not easy for me to start this blog. I do not mean that getting it set up and operating was difficult. That part was a breeze. I mean it was not easy for me to go along with the crowd and do something that is so hip, trendy and popular. I never liked trends, and I certainly do not like trends that use the internet and computers. Well, at least I get to write about gardening and horticulture. It is a topic that I happen to be good at writing about. I do not need to post pictures of puppies, kittens, babies, what I cooked for supper last night or where I went on vacation.

This is Rhody, in the picture above. He is a puppy. He is terrified of kittens, barks at babies, will eat anything that I cook for supper, and will go anywhere we might go on vacation. He can not write my blog for me because he can not type. Besides, he does not speak American English, or any other human language. He does not help in the garden much. As I said, he is a puppy.

So, there I did it. I started a blog, and posted a picture of a puppy.

Well, getting back to Rhody. He is a terrier, which literally means that he is terrestrial, or associated with the soil. In other words, he digs. His kind were bred to exterminate rodents, particularly in the soil. Rhody is just now starting to figure this out, but still needs to work on his technique. He has not started to dig for gophers, and actually seems to be more interested in getting more closely acquainted with them when they emerge from their holes and stare at him for more than a few seconds. Rhody just stares back. Perhaps his is in telepathic communication with the gophers, and is negotiating their relocation to a better home on a nearby vacant hillside.

I do not mind. It is bad enough that gophers dig in the garden. I do not need Rhody digging in the garden too.

It is the terrestrial part that Rhody does not seem to understand. He already knows that he dislikes all other rodents above the surface of the soil, such as squirrels, rabbits, deer and horses. The squirrels are not much of a problem, but the rabbits eat big patches of iceplant and other succulents, and have eaten the foliage and buds of several small potted plants. Rhody chases them off every morning.

We still need to work on Rhody’s concept of what a true ‘rodent’ is. The deer had been eating leafy plants in the garden, but have been notably absent since Rhody chased them away only a few times. I do not like him to chase the deer because I am afraid that he might actually catch one. Fortunately, he does not see them until they are already fleeing. Rhody also needs to learn to not bark at horses.

Rhody is not allowed far from the house because coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions live in the surrounding forest, and sometimes come close to home. None of them are known for pursuing dogs, but could get nasty if chased by one. I would be pleased if Rhody worked only in the garden, which happens to be close to the house.

So, in summary, posting a picture of puppy who does what he can to protect the garden from vermin is not completely irrelevant to gardening.

25 thoughts on “Rhody”

  1. Rhody is cute and cute does evoke a response in the human heart. Keep him safe from the coyotes and bobcats. In the East, small dogs are just as game as rabbits. Eastern Coyotes have been known to grab cats off porches and attack dogs on a leash, no less! The population density inures them to humans, I think. Western coyotes are hopefully, a bit more shy.

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      1. We used to winter in southeastern Arizona. People in that region like to feed coyotes. Before small pets would be in danger. Travel with dogs. We always look outside for danger. We did the same with Kato, our Bengal cat but he was smarter than our dogs. He would stand the open door at the door and smell and look before he left the motor home.

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      2. I had a neighbor who fed squirrels of all things! I was not sure if it attracted more, or kept them distracted from my figs. I did happen to get plenty of figs, so maybe it was not such a bad thing. I would not feed coyotes, coons or anything so dangerous though.

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  2. Pingback: Felton Covered Bridge – Tony Tomeo

    1. There is a funny little kitty in town that seems to find Rhody in various places. She does not stay at home, but will come to the Park looking for Rhody, or will show up downtown while Rhody is there. She seems sad that Rhody is afraid of her. Everyone pets her, but I think she want someone to play with sometimes. I do not know how she finds Rhody, but she really seems to like him. I hope Rhody eventually gets comfortable with her.

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      2. I have heard of them. There is a species of civets that eats coffee cherries and poops out the beans. The coffee made from the pooped out beans was all the rage with coffee snobs. I am glad I am not a coffee snob.

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  5. Your description of Prep sounds like she might have been someone’s pet. And someone used a crate and some abandoned her. If that was the case she/he was probably descent. People leave in the area cats, dogs and snakes all time when they no longer want them. Why not a skunk?

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    1. The skunks are just naturally tame. I do not believe that Pepe was a pet. He could have been; but the behavior us not unheard of. Because people tend to leave them alone, they are not that afraid of people.

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      1. When we were living at the Thousand Springs ND there was number who lived on preserve. WHILE there skunks and porcupines were everywhere and weren’t afraid of us, except the one porcupine would climb the nearest tree whenever he saw Chocolate.

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      3. She loved to chase them and knew to handle them. She would get at the front of either and as they moved their for defence Chocolate would run around to the front and would continue to harass the animal. One night she got and had fun time. We spent a night chasing her. We didn’t let our animals at night because of the coyote problem. Large hawks, vultures and eagles have been known to take small animals.

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    1. They are endemic to almost all of the United States of America, except only for Hawaii, Alaska and the nastiest part of the Mojave Desert. They also live in northern Mexico and southern Canada.

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  8. What an absolutely delightful read! I think Rhody and I would get along quite well, particularly if I arrived in his territory with a treat in my pocket.

    Believe it or not, I didn’t know that terriers are digging animals, or about that neat connection with ‘terrestrial.’ It does help to explain the name ‘rat terrier,’ which I’ve always heard, but never thought much about.

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