Two Labradoodles in the Garden

I’ve not had a moment to garden in the last six weeks since Matilda or “Tillie”, the chocolate Australian labradoodle, came to live with us. For the last five years, we’ve been dogless. In some ways life during our dogless days was easier. The house was cleaner, the garden more tidy. But alas, I always felt something was missing. Yes, I had the chickens to talk to. I’d throw the girls a snail or toss them some greens as I gardened nearby. But there was no kitty to brush against me as I worked with the soil; no dog to lick my cheek or nudge me.

Often the people who love pets, also love to garden. Pet ownership and gardening bring out the nurturing side of our personalities and need similar attentiveness. Both plants and pets need to be fed, watered, and groomed. Both gardens and pets require us to live our lives in a more selfless manner.

Last week, Madelyn or “Maddie” joined our family. The 14 week old black Australian  labradoodle is a joyful little thing and her clever antics makes us laugh until we cry. With two puppies, my garden is suffering. The pups are squashing perennials and gnawing on shrubs. Luckily, for us, most of the vegetables have been harvested.

I promise my next post will be about gardening. I have some fall chores to do before the rains begin and I’m sure most of you are working on that too. Until then, I can’t leave these two pups unsupervised for more than a few minutes. Who knows what they have been up to while I checked in with my coastal gardening friends?