What do you do when your dog needs to "go"?

jrc · 05-11-2009, 12:37 PM

I found a surprise on my driveway two days in row. I have a hiking trail on my land that comes near the house, and people walk dogs, but I never expected they would allow the dogs to come up the driveway near the house.

The second day I was cleaning up the mess, and getting ready to give the dog walkers a piece of my mind. The shovel broke the droppings into pieces. I noticed a lot of fur and small bones.

What ever left that in my driveway doesn't eat from a can! There's more than just dogs in the woods. I left the dog walkers alone.

SLI · 05-11-2009, 03:04 PM

What you found in your driveway sounds like owl scat. Any big owls around?
Sue

LIforrelaxin · 05-11-2009, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrc

What ever left that in my driveway doesn't eat from a can! There's more than just dogs in the woods. I left the dog walkers alone.

This is the thing.... people are always quick to blame dogs..... but lets see, when in the northern woods I hear all kinds of animals, and if there wild, they don't worry about where they are do they....

Now on the flip side, it seems that more and more poeple and communities are getting up tight about people having to have "doggie bags" and picking up after there dogs... come on people, it nature at its finest. While I will admit, that letting your dog poop in you neighbors yard or in a public park is not cool.... If you are in the woods hiking or communing with nature, having to worry about a poop or two should not be a big deal unless it is in the middle of the trail....

Now as for being out on the water, this is always a delemia, fortunately one I have never had to face, sure I brought my dogs out on the water a lot. But a walk before we left and a walk after we got back was all it took..... I have never been in the position of a day boater having to rely on places around the dock to let Fido go.... In short much like the rest areas along the highway it would be nice to see the towns start to create dog walk area's close to town docks, if some have not already done so......

Rattlesnake Gal · 05-11-2009, 07:47 PM

Before we bought the camp we would spend the day on out on the lake and faced the same problem. I was crazy enough to have Mac mark a stick on the mainland and took it with us on the boat, hiding it until he needed a break. I thought that I could get him to whiz on the stick while we were out and was sure that I would be able to catch it in a bucket.

He was all for using the stick when it was in the yard, but he didn’t seem to keen on the idea when we were out on the swim platform. He really likes to snap at the water and of course he would get full. Unfortunately he had no choice and had an accident, which really upset the poor little guy. After that we were much more careful not to let him drink too much while we were swimming off the boat.

jrc · 05-12-2009, 07:04 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzcTlEpAigQ

Piston · 05-15-2009, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzcTlEpAigQ

Now THAT'S what I'm lookin for! That is absolutely awesome!

Argie's Wife · 05-18-2009, 12:03 AM

I've heard of people teaching their dog to "go" over a city grate so they don't have to scoop and there's puddles. This must be something like that...

But you gotta admire that little dog who can balance on 3-legs while he's on a boat!

Mink Islander · 05-12-2009, 01:26 PM

It's sounds like an owl pellet -- the indigestible bits that owls regurgitate -- see below. Kids dissect these things in Science classes.

Like other birds, Owls cannot chew their food - small prey items are swallowed whole, while larger prey are torn into smaller pieces before being swallowed. Some Owl species will partially pluck bird and larger mammal prey.

Unlike other birds, Owls have no Crop. A crop is a loose sac in the throat that serves as storage for food for later consumption. Since an Owl lacks this, food is passed directly into their digestive system.

Now, a bird's stomach has two parts:

The first part is the glandular stomach or proventriculus, which produces enzymes, acids, and mucus that begin the process of digestion.

The second part is the muscular stomach, called the Ventriculus, or gizzard. There are no digestive glands in the gizzard, and in birds of prey, it serves as a filter, holding back insoluble items such as bones, fur, teeth and feathers (more about this below).

The soluble, or soft parts of the food are ground by muscular contractions, and allowed to pass through to the rest of the digestive system, which includes the small and large intestine. The liver and pancreas secrete digestive enzymes into the small intestine where the food is absorbed into body. At the end of the digestive tract (after the large intestine) is the cloaca, a holding area for wastes and products from the digestive and urinary systems. The cloaca opens to the outside by means of the vent. It is interesting to note that birds (apart from the Ostrich) do not have a bladder. The excretion from the vent is largely made up of an acid which is the white part of a healthy dropping.

Several hours after eating, the indigestible parts (fur, bones, teeth & feathers that are still in the gizzard) are compressed into a pellet the same shape as the gizzard. This pellet travels up from the gizzard back to the proventriculus. It will remain there for up to 10 hours before being regurgitated. Because the stored pellet partially blocks the Owl's digestive system, new prey cannot be swallowed until the pellet is ejected. Regurgitation often signifies that an Owl is ready to eat again. When the Owl eats more than one prey item within several hours, the various remains are consolidated into one pellet.

The pellet cycle is regular, regurgitating the remains when the digestive system has finished extracting the nutrition from the food. This is often done at a favourite roost. When an Owl is about to produce a pellet, it will take on a pained expression - the eyes are closed, the facial disc narrow, and the bird will be reluctant to fly. At the moment of expulsion, the neck is stretched up and forward, the beak is opened, and the pellet simply drops out without any retching or spitting movements.

Owl pellets differ from other birds of prey in that they contain a greater proportion of food residue. This is because an Owl's digestive juices are less acidic than in other birds of prey. Also, other raptors tend to pluck their prey to a much larger extent than Owls.

jrc · 05-12-2009, 04:43 PM

Now I'm a little queasy. Could be an owl, a darn big one. I do know it wasn't a dog. All my trees are usually filled with turkeys, so an owl would need to fight for space.

northeastelectric · 05-14-2009, 08:06 AM

Sounds like either Coyotes or maybe an owl.Coyotes have been making a huge comeback in new hampshire the last few years,i have actually come accross a couple in the woods myself.although you may not see them,trust me they are out there,they are usually meek and steer clear of humans when possible(Unless in packs they are more aggresive) but may be comming in after trash cans ect.near the houses.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrc

I found a surprise on my driveway two days in row. I have a hiking trail on my land that comes near the house, and people walk dogs, but I never expected they would allow the dogs to come up the driveway near the house.

The second day I was cleaning up the mess, and getting ready to give the dog walkers a piece of my mind. The shovel broke the droppings into pieces. I noticed a lot of fur and small bones.

What ever left that in my driveway doesn't eat from a can! There's more than just dogs in the woods. I left the dog walkers alone.

05-11-2009, 03:04 PM	#2
SLI Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Charlestown, NH Posts: 25 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 9 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Driveway doo-doo What you found in your driveway sounds like owl scat. Any big owls around? Sue

05-11-2009, 07:47 PM	#4
Rattlesnake Gal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Central NH Posts: 5,252 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 1,451 Thanked 1,349 Times in 475 Posts	I Had a Crazy Idea Once Before we bought the camp we would spend the day on out on the lake and faced the same problem. I was crazy enough to have Mac mark a stick on the mainland and took it with us on the boat, hiding it until he needed a break. I thought that I could get him to whiz on the stick while we were out and was sure that I would be able to catch it in a bucket. He was all for using the stick when it was in the yard, but he didn’t seem to keen on the idea when we were out on the swim platform. He really likes to snap at the water and of course he would get full. Unfortunately he had no choice and had an accident, which really upset the poor little guy. After that we were much more careful not to let him drink too much while we were swimming off the boat.

05-12-2009, 01:26 PM	#8
Mink Islander Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 753 Thanks: 59 Thanked 271 Times in 129 Posts	At the Risk of Too Much Information.... It's sounds like an owl pellet -- the indigestible bits that owls regurgitate -- see below. Kids dissect these things in Science classes. Like other birds, Owls cannot chew their food - small prey items are swallowed whole, while larger prey are torn into smaller pieces before being swallowed. Some Owl species will partially pluck bird and larger mammal prey. Unlike other birds, Owls have no Crop. A crop is a loose sac in the throat that serves as storage for food for later consumption. Since an Owl lacks this, food is passed directly into their digestive system. Now, a bird's stomach has two parts: The first part is the glandular stomach or proventriculus, which produces enzymes, acids, and mucus that begin the process of digestion. The second part is the muscular stomach, called the Ventriculus, or gizzard. There are no digestive glands in the gizzard, and in birds of prey, it serves as a filter, holding back insoluble items such as bones, fur, teeth and feathers (more about this below). The soluble, or soft parts of the food are ground by muscular contractions, and allowed to pass through to the rest of the digestive system, which includes the small and large intestine. The liver and pancreas secrete digestive enzymes into the small intestine where the food is absorbed into body. At the end of the digestive tract (after the large intestine) is the cloaca, a holding area for wastes and products from the digestive and urinary systems. The cloaca opens to the outside by means of the vent. It is interesting to note that birds (apart from the Ostrich) do not have a bladder. The excretion from the vent is largely made up of an acid which is the white part of a healthy dropping. Several hours after eating, the indigestible parts (fur, bones, teeth & feathers that are still in the gizzard) are compressed into a pellet the same shape as the gizzard. This pellet travels up from the gizzard back to the proventriculus. It will remain there for up to 10 hours before being regurgitated. Because the stored pellet partially blocks the Owl's digestive system, new prey cannot be swallowed until the pellet is ejected. Regurgitation often signifies that an Owl is ready to eat again. When the Owl eats more than one prey item within several hours, the various remains are consolidated into one pellet. The pellet cycle is regular, regurgitating the remains when the digestive system has finished extracting the nutrition from the food. This is often done at a favourite roost. When an Owl is about to produce a pellet, it will take on a pained expression - the eyes are closed, the facial disc narrow, and the bird will be reluctant to fly. At the moment of expulsion, the neck is stretched up and forward, the beak is opened, and the pellet simply drops out without any retching or spitting movements. Owl pellets differ from other birds of prey in that they contain a greater proportion of food residue. This is because an Owl's digestive juices are less acidic than in other birds of prey. Also, other raptors tend to pluck their prey to a much larger extent than Owls.

05-11-2009, 12:37 PM	#1
jrc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,689 Thanks: 33 Thanked 439 Times in 249 Posts	I found a surprise on my driveway two days in row. I have a hiking trail on my land that comes near the house, and people walk dogs, but I never expected they would allow the dogs to come up the driveway near the house. The second day I was cleaning up the mess, and getting ready to give the dog walkers a piece of my mind. The shovel broke the droppings into pieces. I noticed a lot of fur and small bones. What ever left that in my driveway doesn't eat from a can! There's more than just dogs in the woods. I left the dog walkers alone.

The Following User Says Thank You to LIforrelaxin For This Useful Post:
dpg (05-13-2009)

05-12-2009, 07:04 AM	#5
jrc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,689 Thanks: 33 Thanked 439 Times in 249 Posts	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzcTlEpAigQ

05-18-2009, 12:03 AM	#7
Argie's Wife Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Alton Posts: 1,908 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 533 Thanked 579 Times in 260 Posts	I've heard of people teaching their dog to "go" over a city grate so they don't have to scoop and there's puddles. This must be something like that... But you gotta admire that little dog who can balance on 3-legs while he's on a boat!

05-12-2009, 04:43 PM	#9
jrc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,689 Thanks: 33 Thanked 439 Times in 249 Posts	Now I'm a little queasy. Could be an owl, a darn big one. I do know it wasn't a dog. All my trees are usually filled with turkeys, so an owl would need to fight for space.