Ella's Hobby Exposed

I believe Confuscious say... "Mastiff pup at play, wreak havoc on yard every day!" Let me show you what I mean....




Ella likes to dig for rocks around the foundation. Apparently, they are very yummy!







But Ella's not just a digger. Oohhhh Nooooo! She's a landscaper as well! She has become fascinated with finding sprinkler heads! Finds them, digs them up, runs around with the sprinkler head hanging out of her jowls. Or she will discard the sprinkler head somewhere, then, you don't know it's missing- until there is a geyser shooting straight up in your yard during watering time. Lovely! I don't believe she has ever been to plumbing school. I don't believe she should be rerouting sprinkler lines!

Which would mean she is also not qualified to reinstall or remove our french drain system! Ella....you....are....NOT....licensed....to...do....outdoor watering systems!!! Repeat: NOT Qualified!!!

But that is not all Ella enjoys my friends, no...that is not all! Ella has also found a love for roses! (Which is ironic, because I thought about naming her Rosebud...) But she doesn't stop to smell the roses....she stops to EAT them!

Doesn't matter the variety...or um, flavor of the rose....it must be devoured. And when she has reached the rootball of the rose.....

Then she feels compelled to dig it up.

I can only assume she wants to relocate the above rose bush here.

Obviously, I didn't plant this one in the right space either. It too apparently must need to be relocated!

I'm guessing just a foot or two to the right?

I trimmed back what remained of all my rose bushes this weekend. I placed the trimmings that would not fit in the trashcan on the other side of this fence:

In less than five minutes, she started to dig to retrieve the trimmings. "Ella! You are not a RETRIEVER You are a MASTIFF! You are not a licensed plumber or landscaper either! I appreciate your help lovey...but PLEASE STOP!!!!" Mommy's yard is becoming very ugly!

Now, many of you are probably wondering: "Why doesn't she have a separate yard for the dogs? Why not have a.... what's the word...dogrun? Yes, why doesn't she get a dogrun? And what about training, as well as spay & neutering etc."

"

Well, those are all valid questions my friends. The answers are as follows: I agree, a separate yard would be a great idea. Why a dogrun, would be genious! Infact, I did have one once upon a time. But, before we got the pups...It was reclaimed. ...It was renamed... It became....

Well, it became what is now known by Captain Ricardo- as "The boat slip." If you think Ella can dig, you should see Ricardo dig his heels in about his new found space!!! ... What's a girl to do I ask you? And Yes! I've had Ricardo neutered. So far it's kept him from roaming, but not made him the least bit more trainable!! Okay, so now back to Ella...

I'm not rolling over and playing dead on this. We have been advised to place chicken wire down on the ground, stake it, cover it with dirt and mulch. When the dogs go to dig, their toenails hit the wire and they stop digging. It is much like fingernails on a chalkboard, doesn't hurt you; but, neither is it a pleasant sensation. So this weekend we will be buying chicken wire. " Lots and lots of chicken wire!!!" (Name that movie line...)

I'll tell ya, Puppy ownership is not for the faint of heart. There's alot of sh** to work through, but this too shall pass....(much like Ella digesting my landscaping. Ha ha ha!!! Ahem...sorry about that.) But,I for one predict that we WILL work through this stage... and when we do...well, everything will be coming up roses!!!