BigDumbDog

It's Friday and that means Show and Tell over at Kelli's. Click above to participate.

Last week I showed you our backyard in the early summer of 2007. After hearing your comments, I'm back with more BigDumbDog. Now I will show you our backyard today, February of 2008 and the damage that Sampson has done. He looks so cute doesn't he? We picked up Sampson in June of 2007 at a shelter in Hermiston, Oregon. They guessed his age at 9 to 11 months and the vet thought it was fairly accurate. While he was a rescue, there is no reason to belive he isn't a purebred. He is excellent with the kids, good with the cats, and quite the puller when we go for walks.

Here is our deck. What you can't see is the wisteria. It used to grow up through the lattice, then Sampson chewed it all to nothing. I still plan to train it to go up higher on the lattice and up over the top instead of through the railings and then onto the lattice. That is also the dog house that cost $168 and he's been in once voluntarily (that we know of).

Here are just a few of the holes he has dug. This was all freshly planted grass, except right up by the compost bin. That's where the raspberries used to be.

Here is a photo of the electric pet fence that he unplugs. And the tires and wheels we have used to keep him from digging (the phone line runs through this area).

Proof of him eating my rose!!!! I'm pretty sure the other two miniature roses will not be coming back. This was the hardiest, and I'm just waiting for the ground to thaw enough that I can dig it up and put it out front. He's also destroyed 2 bushes, and we shall see how much damage to the phlox, chicks and hens, and bleeding hearts he has caused as the year progresses.

Here is another photo of our deck. I love it now that the lattice is up and we have more privacy. There would be even more privacy, if Sampson would allow the wisteria to grow!

Dana had to devise a plan to keep Sampson from eating the wires to the sprinkler system and his heated water bowl. It's worked well. It's a bit hard to see, but there is PVC pipe split in half, attached to the house with diamond plate brackets. That protects the sprinkler system wires. I had my first ever wiring experience, fixing the sprinkler system controller after Sampson unplugged it, chewed through the wires and made off with the plug and this was after Dana put up the pipe!

Here is Kaia's surviving wind chime. She received this as a gift for her second birthday. She loves them and has been given many more. Unfortunately, all the others have been blown apart during wind storms. It is in the shape of a swan and the globe sits on it's back.

I just love the way our deck casts shadows! Here is BigDumbDog drinking his water.

So content after chewing on my miniature roses! That's all from my garden today. I hope you enjoyed viewing the destruction one Alaskan Malamute can cause.