Brown Family Update -- Orchard of Death

Remember those Costco citrus trees I planted last week?  Well, they have been under heavy attack by Daisy, the Golden Retriever (aka the “Sock Retriever and now known as the “Citrus Tree Slayer”).  I had no idea that she cared about the trees so much.  I planted four on the side of the house near the chicken coop and mulched the soil with smelly citrus mulch intended for new trees.  Apparently it has an odor to it that Daisy cannot resist.

Well, a morning or two later Sam came in from feeding the chickens and announced one of the trees had been dug up.  I couldn’t believe it, but sure enough it was not only dug up but ripped into shreds like the chicken that sadly escaped from the coop last month and enjoyed only a moment of freedom before it realized its mistake.

What do you say to the dog?  Well, we had words.  She knew I was not happy with her but she did not know why.

I decided I had to put up a fence, but I didn’t have time or materials.  Instead, I put up one of those flimsy orange plastic fences you sometimes see around a construction site that warns more than it deters.  I used miscellaneous wood and metal poles as stakes and thought it would be enough to keep her away.  Jill added some “chili powder” on the dirt around the trunks to make it less appetizing for the dog.

Poor trees.  Removed from the comfort of Costco only to be planted, stalked and seasoned at our house.  Needless to say, we thought the problem was solved.

Not so.  The next morning the orange fence had been ripped in two places and another tree had been badly damaged.  I repaired the fence and the tree as best I could.  I also gave Daisy another scolding.  By now she began to realize that she shouldn’t follow me to that part of the yard.  By now I began to realize she loved the mulch, but she also loved the citrus leaves and branches just as much.

I still didn’t have time to buy a sturdier fence, so I repaired the orange one again and, sure enough, the next morning it was ripped up.  This time the trees were still standing.  But it was a matter of time before she decided it was time to dig up some more.

Finally, Saturday arrived and I bought a wire fence, some metal stakes and a few more trees from Costco to replace the casualties.  I spent the better part of the afternoon with Sam, Anna and Zach planting new trees and building the fence.

And guess what?  When Sam went out Sunday morning to feed the chickens, guess who he found on the inside of the fence?  Yup.  Daisy.  And one badly damaged tree.  The fence wasn’t made out of the strongest wire, but it is the same material I used for the chicken coop and fence and she hasn’t figured out how to break into the coop thus far.  And yet she somehow get into the “orchard of death” but couldn’t (or didn’t want to) figure out how to get out.

So, tonight and future nights will be a kennel night for her until I can figure out a better solution.

Meanwhile, I’m putting my midlife crisis on hold and have decided not to trade my house and profession for a farm, dairy or orchard.

Morning sun rising on the Orchard of Death