So true zuzu, so true!

I discovered a new garden helper today. Some of the limbs on my neighbor's pine trees extend over an area of my garden and drop pine cones that I'm always having to pick up. This little guy volunteered to help out today.



And this is Mona Lisa, one of our garden toads who I can usually find in the same spot most afternoons. She helps keep the slug population in check. Named after her subtle smile.

My garden helpers are still puppies so they play more than they help right now. Gracie discovered that a empty plant container is more fun than helping lol. While her sister Tippy looked on and guarded her ball.



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Everyone's helpers are so cute! Beth I always love seeing your chickens and Jeri your long haired Dalmatians are beautiful! Spartacus looks like he does a good job of keeping everyone in line too. And Mike your Sprite is gorgeous!

Here are mine:

11 yr old Kasey, our 6.5 lb. Yorkie terror, I mean terrier. She thinks she's a big dog but cuts a wide berth around the chickens, she's a little high strung and they won't put up with that and let her know pretty quickly.

She is a size model for some roses (click to see!)


13 yr old Penny, the 7 lb. tiny toy poodle, a sweetie, hangs with the chickens without any problems. Weed seed collector extraordinaire.




Started with 5 chickens (all with flower names) in 2015, now down to 2. Violet, the dark one, a Blue Wyandotte, often goes broody (sits in nest box all day) and we are thinking of sneaking in some day-old chicks underneath her to raise so we can bring the numbers up to 5 again. (Rosie, the Rhode Island Red no longer with us)

Violet cleans all manner of seeds and garden debris off my cloths as I work the beds. Here she is inspecting me up close. Sometimes I let out an "ouch!" when her cleaning is too demanding and forceful.


Poppy, the Easter Egger, lays green eggs and makes an excellent model for various plants.


Lots of blue belly and alligator lizards are also great garden helpers here.

So sweet!

I wanted to take a picture of my "GardenOrg." helpers, but I was afraid of all the destruction they might cause while I went for the camera. Our three rescued shelter kittens are now about 3 1/2 months old and really hard to keep off my desk. They can get the computer to do things that I have no idea how to do.
Gosling


Hamster


Barrit

They rarely look this innocent.

I love Hamster's happy little face. He's really enjoying life!

He is indeed! Our house will never be the same.

Sue, Kasey and Penny are so cute and I love how they help you model with the roses and chickens!
Porkpal your kittens are adorable and I can only imagine the fun and mischief that get into, I have some experience with my two pups being little stinkers.

This is Daisy. It is her job to make sure no plants try to escape through the fence of the new garden. This photo was taken last summer when the garden was new. It has grown a lot since and needs daily Daisy patrols to keep it trimmed. Lola.

Love seeing everyone's pictures of their sweet beasties aka chickens, kitties, doggies, lizards, and sheep. Would love to borrow Daisy for a day. She is adorable!

No beasties here today. Except mossies which are hungry! Today I had a couple of visitors who were flying around my yard. I think they were Swainson's Hawks. They were a pair and were circling and diving above my yard (and the yards next to me). They were amazing to watch (very early morning/sunrise). I also have a great horned owl that occasionally visits as well (I hear him about 3 am in the morning).

This is Lucy. She's my 6-year-old rescue poodle-ish dog. She gets bored in the garden. My wife and I wanted her to go out to the the garden across the street with me to get some fresh air.

She was having none of that. She always barked at people as they went by and was very eager to go home. One day, I noticed that she was very quiet, so I went to investigate. As I approached, she was squeezing out through the bars (wrought iron) onto the sidewalk. By the time I caught up with her, she had gotten out and run across six lanes of Eleventh Avenue (this is in Manhattan-NYC) and up to the door of my apartment building. I was shouting for her, and cars were screeching to a halt for Lucy and then for me. A confused person opened the door for Lucy and she ran into the lobby and right over to the elevator and sat down waiting for me.

I was exhausted from panic and practically in tears, but everything turned out all right.

By the way, she got her way; I have never brought her back to the garden again! David

But she looks so lovely surrounded by lush greenery...

She is beautiful and she does look good in green, but I guess she doesn't look so good in traffic.

This is Ruby, my rescue baby. She is terrified of most people, which is so sad. I've had her since last October. She LOVES to be out in the gardens with me. Keeping the squirrels and chipmunks out, keeping the water snakes away from mom, and of course relaxing after a hard day of gardening!

It's great to hear that most of our garden helpers are rescues. Over the past 25 years all of our farm's cats and dogs have either just shown up or have come from animal control; they're the best kind! We have also acquired some rescue cows, horses, and pigs. To truly appreciate a "helpful" animal, try a pig!

I'm glad I found this thread!

I loved all the animals!!!! I am in love with those long haired dalmations!!! And the husky, and the chickens, and the sheep and the kitties...and that gorgeous frog!!!

Here are my two current dogs.
Here is my dog (Teddy) as a small puppy. He is a St. Berdoodle (half St. Bernard/Half standard poodle). Small for the "breed."



The poodle fading gene transformed him (1 1/2 years) to this: Please ignore the well-worn deck...we're replacing it next year.



Here is my standard poodle Zephyr



Teddy

I am so glad you posted the latest pictures of Teddy. He is still adorable! I remember when you got him! Zephyr is gorgeous as well. Love standard poodles.

I remember showing pictures of Brudoodles to folks at work. I learned that there is a smaller version of the dog as well. All adorable!

Oh wow Carol I can't believe how big Teddy has grown! He's such a handsome young man too as well as Zephyr. I love all the animal pics as much as I love seeing the roses. Our pets add so much to our lives don't they?
Bigappleroseguy I am so glad your pup made it home safe, guess he really knew he did not want to garden lol.

Mustbnuts - Thanks! What is a brudoodle?

RosesnTx - Yes, what would we do without our pets?

Carol