Polymerous said:Umm... Isn't it rather cold for your dog to be out at night, in the winter?

No. He has a humongous thick coat and a heated dog house. Plus under the deck is dry and next to the warm fireplace wall. He doesn't like to be in the house. He scratches at the door to get out if we make him come in and he starts panting heavily because the house is too hot for him in his monstrous winter coat.

My dogs coat is five times heavier than the cougar, coyote, and deer. This is him when he was playing with kids as they were snow tubing. He gets pretty hot running around even in the snow.

His dog house is insulated, heated, and is built with two rooms... a front room he can lie inside and look out and also a back room where he can go to be away from any wind, rain, or distractions. Both rooms are heated and the interior wall is insulated also. He is quite well and has other doggie play mates who visit regularly being there are no fences on the mountain.

He goes under the deck because under the deck is a much larger warm doggie house and I put a few blankets under there for him where he likes to lay down.

He has a raccoon friend who lives under there also. He looks out for her and wakes her up when we put the food out. He plays with the raccoon and she likes to lay by him under the deck. They are friendly companions.

SpringGreenThumb said:My dogs coat is five times heavier than the cougar, coyote, and deer. This is him when he was playing with kids as they were snow tubing. He gets pretty hot running around even in the snow.

Cute puppy!

Wow.... just... wow...

Well, if he *wants* to be outside (reminiscent of a James Herriot story about a sheepdog that refused to come in during the winter), and he has a safe place to go from the predators, then it sounds like he has a good home. Two room insulated dog house? (Good job! ) Visiting doggie friends? A sheltered place to perch and watch the goings-on? Room service delivering food and warm blankets?

(Don't know about that raccoon buddy, though. )

Sorry to question you, but so many people think it is okay to just throw their dog outside (chain them, even), and given your climate *shudder*. Apart from the weather, dogs (as you know) are social animals... but it sounds like he really is happy "out there".

Polymerous said:Wow.... just... wow...


Sorry to question you, but so many people think it is okay to just throw their dog outside (chain them, even), and given your climate *shudder*. Apart from the weather, dogs (as you know) are social animals... but it sounds like he really is happy "out there".

I'm glad you were concerned for his welfare. I realize my comment about him hiding from predators under the deck didn't portray a good or accurate picture.

But realistically a girl like me who would rescue and adopt an abandoned baby bunny... plus leave food out for an orphaned baby raccoon allowing her to grow up warm, safe, and unharassed under my deck with my own dog,...

.... the same dog I charged in to fight a vicious pitbull. and kept that pitbull's deadly ferocity focused on me.... even after I'd been slashed open by that pitbull just to save that same dog's life. Is not the kind of girl who would chain a dog and leave him to freeze or starve to death...

Sometime's we forget to remember all those signs that point to a person's true character.... especially if they post a half thoughtless comment like the one I made.
If you stop and remember... you will see I have integrity when dealing with animals and plants.

I even protected the pitbull's life that attacked me who tried to kill my dog.... by not reporting the pitbull to animal services and making sure the owner quickly washed the bleach out her eyes..... then not filing a law suit. Despite my own anger, frustration, and injuries.

Think about that one.... 😉😉😉

You could retrace every post and find I have never even joked about being mean to any animal.... ever.

Yes, sorry Betsy, I forgot about the pitbull incident.

I do tend to knee jerk a bit on some things.

Again, my apologies.

Polymerous said:Yes, sorry Betsy, I forgot about the pitbull incident.

I do tend to knee jerk a bit on some things.

Again, my apologies.

It's ok. I made a conspicuous comment. It's good to notice that. ❤️

My dog actually chose to start staying back under the deck during summer time because it was cooler there for him than the dog house.

And you know how dogs are... once they pick a favorite spot... that's where they are going to be.

Besides he can be safely under there hidden yet still see everything going on in the yard. Also his doggie friends who visit are female ...

he favors their company over the laundry room floor. 😀
(Imagine that.)

Lol. (Warp is a ladies' man too...)

Sophia, my rescue mutt, has the thick double coat of cold weather breeds. She loves snow and cold weather. Its so cute, she buries her face in the snow and lays down and wiggles in it like she's making snow angels. When she was young, she would often refuse to come inside during snow. She's white with patches of black and brown like a St. Bernard, and was so well camouflaged among the snow and brown leaves, I would poke my head outside to call her and her head would pop up- she loved curling up right in the snow! Now that she's old, she enjoys the comforts of being inside.

Like the rest of us, Neal!!

We had a Collie dog when we lived in Chicago -- he loved snow too. He loved it when I threw a snowball up into the air and he'd try to catch it. I would make the snowball *soft* so that it broke up into pieces as it fell, and he would jump in the air -- snapping his jaws -- trying to catch every piece of it before it hit the ground. That was a lot of fun -- good memories.

Scary, you guys! Be careful of baby rattlers...I've been told their venom is more concentrated and therefore more dangerous than the big ones. Not to say I want contact with the big ones, though! These are reasons I guess I'm glad I now live in the city, but I sure miss my country days!

Barbalee - you are correct - the baby venom is worse. True with Cottonmouth's too. Fun fact - venom contains a lot of proteins. Protein in general is toxic when introduced directly through the bloodstream of humans, but is important nourishment when it goes through the digestive tract. That is why the snake venom doesn't affect you when you suck it out of a bite. (This is put in it's most basic terms).

Wow. I didn't know that..............

Odd but true.

This was in the driveway when I was putting the chickens away... close to 4'.. I haven't seen a gopher snake this large in many years. Just glad it was a gopher snake.


FYI regarding coyotes and fences... If they want something behind a fence, they will dig under it.

Why is it all snakes look fierce to me? Most of them are not -- in fact they're beneficial. But there's something about that curved shape that gives me the willies..............

Cuzz4short said:There's so many new members to the iris forum since the recent merge/ name change.
It's hard to keep up. Feel free to give a brief or extensive intro to who you or what you do.

Hi I am Ami,

New to this site. I found garden.org because I was searching for dwarf re blooming irises, specially for zone 5b. I love to garden, but Irises are new for me. Currently I am on temp retirement to care for my grandchildren while my daughter attends college, I will return later, but got to say this is the best decision ever.

I am what you would consider a lazy gardener. I put up all the hard work in the beginning to help create a hassle free'ish garden. I like formal looks that can hold season long interest. My husband retired from the military, so I am use to moving and establishing a year long landscape. Our last move has brought me to Michigan, and I am on a year 3 of 5 plan which involves propagating a lot of my boxwood (too many times). As a result of a strange wet winter, I am excited to add a cold box for propagating, and keeping my fingers crossed, because I hear 2017 is going to be extremely cold.

I look forward to participating.