GARDENING FOR ARGUS
BY
JESSICA BACAL
Published March 2005, New York Living Magazine
Last month's column focused on the environmental perils posed to humans by pet waste and the toxins often used to combat flea and tick infestation. This month's column emphasizes the importance of an eco-friendly environment that protects the health of household pets and is dedicated to a dignified Salt & Pepper Giant Schnauzer named Argus.
All too often when we let our pets loose in the backyard, we're more concerned with damage to costly landscaping rather than worrying about whether our beloved pet is wandering into a chemical wasteland.
The two major environmental problems adversely affecting pets are the use of pesticides and herbicides in the areas in which pets are allowed to roam, and plantings which may be poisonous to animals.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals maintains a Web site (www.aspca.org) which lists such common and valued plants, such as tulips, daffodils and lilies, as toxic to pets that might munch on flowers. Also, dogs have notoriously poor depth perception and tend not to see those carefully planted flower beds, particularly when in pursuit of a teasing chipmunk. A thick, dense row of plantings makes it easier for dogs to distinguish and therefore to avoid plunging into and damaging, and perhaps attracting an appetite.
Many garden borders and the fencing designed to keep pets with the boundaries of the property are made of chemically treated wood, which can leach into the soil where dogs sniff and dig. The pup inhales the toxins which have been implicated in pets' health problems. Herbicides and pesticides which are applied to lawns often adhere to the delicate pads of pets' paws and are tracked indoors where the chemicals dry and become household dust. That "dust" is inhaled by pets and humans alike and may be toxic to lungs of all vertebrates.
When planting the backyard or the portion of the yard where the pet is allowed to roam, consider your pet and his needs. Veterinarians often recommend that homeowners avoid using stones or pebbles in their landscaping plans because some pets like to gnaw on small rocks. Aside from causing dental problems, stones may be swallowed by the animal, thereby causing digestive distress, and, in some cases, if an obstruction results, the effects can be fatal.
Another modest way homeowners can protect the health of their pets is by using organic wood chips as mulch rather than the ordinary chemically treated versions. When building a fence or creating a garden border, homeowners should use cedar rather than chemically treated wood. A spray concocted from peppermint soap or cayenne pepper is said to be as effective as chemical pesticides, and it would be a rare dog that would eat soapy plants. However, a dog that ate soapy plants and ran around with a foaming mouth might find itself in peril from dog control officers fearing rabies.
Some environmentalists recommend that the yard be minimally landscaped and left in its natural state, with wildflowers rather than lawn. I disagree because ticks are much more likely to be harbored in tall grass rather than lawns, and in Northern Westchester, ticks constitute a very definite threat to all forms of life, human and canine. My daughter's tricolor sheltie named Captain Midnight was a victim of Lyme Disease, and any landscaping that increases the risk of contracting the illness should be shunned. Unless pets are confined indoors (as are some cats), they should be carefully checked daily for ticks, which must be removed immediately upon detection. Removal from thick fur can be tricky: don't attempt to dislodge embedded ticks with a lit match as you might set your pet on fire. (I learned this lesson the hard way: my daughter has yet to forgive me although Cappie's fur eventually grew back.)
Several years ago my beloved Giant Schnauzer, Argus, died after developing multiple tumors. The veterinarian theorized that the illness was linked to chemical exposure. My property was never treated with either pesticides or fertilizer, so I was shocked by the diagnosis but on further thought, I was able to develop a hypothesis. Argus was a huge dog with an incredibly sophisticated inner clock that enabled him to trot down the dead-end street every afternoon at 3:15 to meet my son's school bus. On the way home, Argus and my son liked to visit the neighbors. Argus enjoyed spending time with the honorary grandmother of our street, who kept choice leftovers for his consumption, but he especially enjoyed visiting those homes with small children because he was especially gentle with youngsters. He would sit very still so they could touch every inch of his shaggy body, using him as a living jungle gym and surrogate pony, and he never moved except to wag his stubby tail at warp speed. What I knew at the time but did not identify as a hazard was that several of the neighbors, particularly those with children, were understandably concerned about tick infestation, and many applied pesticides, rather than use alternate methods of tick control, to their property. It just never occurred to me that Argus' life was may have been put at risk and ultimately ended because of those neighborly visits.
Today, most communities have enacted leash laws and dogs no longer have the freedom to roam unrestricted. Perhaps it is just as well. And perhaps if homeowners think of Argus when planning their gardens, special care to avoid pet toxins will be considered.