In article
,
gardengal wrote:

On Nov 26, 4:15*pm, Balvenieman wrote:
Boo wrote:
I have recently had a problem with a large amount of dog mess in a
client's
garden and wonder if it is just something we have to put up with?

* * * * In my view, the presence of dogs in the garden is a clear
indication of their owner's regard for the garden as well as for the
person who tends it. It's time to move on and to be very clear about
your reasons for doing so.
--
the Balvenieman
Running on single malt in U.S.A.
Peninsular Florida,
USDA zone 9b

What is this, the anti-dog forum?? Dogs and gardens can be perfectly
compatible as long as the dogs have ben properly trained and the
owners accept the responsibility for their pets. I've gardened for
years with an assortment of dogs and most of my gardening firiends and
acquaintenances are dog owners as well - none of our gardens are
moonscapes with dead or ripped out plants and giant craters from
digging. In fact, dog-friendly garden design is a large portion of my
design practice - at least in my area, dog-owning gardeners are the
majority rather than the minority and it certainly does not mean they
have no regard for their garden. What a preposterous attitude!

If the dog waste is offensive, simply tell the owner it is and ask to
have it cleaned up before your scheduled arrival. If they can't/won't
accomodate, take your business elsewhere. As mentioned previously, it
breaks down quickly into inoffensive components just like any other
garden waste and if the dog is healthy/well-cared for, there will be
no heath issues.

As long as it is a decorative, and not a vegetable, garden.

It is hard to imagine that the owner of the garden wouldn't want to curb
his dogs from using the garden as their toilet. A dog toilet garden is
something that s/he and his/her friends could enjoy from a far.

If you are cleaning up after the dogs, you should keep track of the time
that it takes you and the additional expenses involved (plus the time to
calculate it and add it up) in this aspect of your work.

I don't know if you are being paid hourly or are salaried, but you
should inform your employer you need to be reimbursed for additional
time and materials that fall outside of your job description as a
gardener.

I have dogs and I use tomato cages to protect plants and to direct the
dogs to paths that I want them to use. When I find them in the garden, I
yell at them ad chase them out. As for un-composted doggie doo, I'm
against it in the garden (vegetable) or on the paths, so I clean it up
myself. If I couldn't, I'd get rid of the garden, or hire someone to
clean it up.
--
³When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist.²
-Archbishop Helder Camara

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