After your dog dies - Kennel Pen to Pergola conversion.

[Stephen B]

[size=13pt]Two months after he was killed by a snake it was obviously time to decide if dear Monty would be replaced by another pound pup such as -

[attachimg=1]

Regretfully the decision was made to not have another dog in the short to medium term. Meanwhile Monty's pen was becoming a problem both emotionally and with grass and weed growth.

So I have converted it into a Pergola to protect washing and our bins. Roof of clear Carbinate Roofing still to be installed. The area is much reduced and much of the demolished timber such as Oregon posts will be recycled in extending our mower shed.

It may not have been what I would have designed from scratch, but it recycles available resources, Ms Untidy likes it, and it remains a small reminder of our much loved dog.

This also provides an opportunity for further landscaping and extending the back deck further along the house.

And yes there certainly was a ghost/spirit supervising the demolition and re-construction processes. Should we get another dog(s) in the future a new 'snake proof' pen will be constructed elsewhere.

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Tools - RO150 to sand external stain finish prior to repainting. Makita and Metabo corded and 18V drills, Makita Compound Saw.
[size=10pt]
Other relevant threads to this -http://festoolownersgroup.com/membe...earthrip-monty/msg437188/?topicseen#msg437188
http://festoolownersgroup.com/membe...g-a-true-australian-shed/msg452492/#msg452492

 

[Kev]

Arghh [sad]

I feel compelled to say something, but I just feel really sad for you because of the emotion you must have felt going through that.

Props for keeping your chin up [smile]

 

[Holmz]

Arghh [sad]

I feel compelled to say something, but I just feel really sad for you because of the emotion you must have felt going through that.

Props for keeping your chin up [smile]

^That^ about sums it up.

In a way that may have been dog protecting you from the snake(s). It looks like it could be prime territory for a brown.

 

[Stephen B]

[size=13pt]Thanks Kev and Holmz for recognising the true significance of this project. It certainly was not the most difficult, crafted or designed project I have completed, but, as you note, one of emotion and letting go.

[size=10pt][member=13058]Kev[/member]. [member=40772]Holmz[/member]

 

[slalom]

I am so sorry for your loss. What a great idea to repurpose the enclosure as a pergola. 

Up here we only have one venomous snake and truthfully I have not seen one. On the other hand I can leave my dog outside because of the other four legged visitors wolves and black bears are not a good mix with domestic dogs.

 

[Stephen B]

[member=60678]slalom[/member]

Thanks for your comment. What sort of dog do you have?

I would have thought Wolves in particular would totally ignore a dog? Bears would freak me out, more than snakes. Usually Snakes are fine if you leave them alone. Sadly,  many dogs around here have not learn't that lesson and been lost.

 

[Scott B.]

A fitting tribute, nicely done. I have two aging dogs and have lost treasured 4 leggers in the past.

Interestingly, I am going to be building a garden pergola soon myself...

 

[slalom]

Hello Untidy Shop,

I have a standard poodle. Great dogs, they only shed sawdust!

Wolves and coyotes will interbreed with each other and with dogs, but if a wolf is hungry it will attack a dog. Coyotes seem less wary of being close to humans and are known to prey on smaller dogs. I have seen wolves watch me from the edge of the forest as I cross country skied across a meadow, but they always kept their distance.

In summer bears come around looking for berries but they are opportunistic.

 

[Stephen B]

Hello Untidy Shop,

I have a standard poodle. Great dogs, they only shed sawdust!

Wolves and coyotes will interbreed with each other and with dogs, but if a wolf is hungry it will attack a dog. Coyotes seem less wary of being close to humans and are known to prey on smaller dogs. I have seen wolves watch me from the edge of the forest as I cross country skied across a meadow, but they always kept their distance.

In summer bears come around looking for berries but they are opportunistic.

[size=13pt]
[member=60678]slalom[/member], does that interbreeding create a wild dog that is a greater threat to farmers/patralists and to the environment, than necessarily wolves and coyotes ? Our native dog, the Dingo tends not to attack farm animals, although some will despute this. The real dog problem is wild domestic dogs themselves as well as those resulting from them interbreeding with Dingos.

Monty's breeding was a mix of Australian Kelpie and Whippet. Intelligence and speed. Traditionally down here this was a poachers' dog - our version of the English Lurcher.

 

[slalom]

The coywolf is said to be too small to take down large mammals like moose and deer, and thus less of a threat to livestock although in packs they have attacked and killed people. Some sheep farmers here also raise alpacas. When raised with sheep the alpaca will protect against predators the same way that some large sheep dogs (Maremma for example) do. Efforts are being made to protect the native wolf species so that its numbers are sufficient to ensure lower risk of inter-breeding.

As far as my dogs are concerned, they can go camping with me, we can go on hikes in the woods, but they can't be left outside alone. Even at 75 lbs and 26 inches at the shoulder the risk is too great.

It is great living in the country, but you need to be wise. You need to understand the wild animals and their habits. More than one urban raised dog breeder has moved out here to learn that turkey-vultures (not the Thanksgiving bird) like to eat puppies. For me the advantages are numerous, including harvesting maple, ash, oak, cherry and birch. Anyone who talks about quiet in the countryside has not lived here. Right now the frogs are calling each other, the coyotes will start yipping in a couple of hours and the birds will start around 4 am. There is a quiet time from about 3:30 to 4 - when my dog snores - I swear it is the dog.

Good news - nobody complains about the melodies that come from my table saw, jointer or thickness planer!

 

[Stephen B]

Yes, living in a rural area I can identify with most of what you said, even the loud noise of my machinery!  [smile] Mainly sheep, dairy and beef cattle around here, rather than wilderness.  Our sheep farmers are also using Alpacas for sheep protection.

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This 'wild beast' will now allow me to hand fead him over the fence. A month ago, no way. Amaizing what a handful of green grass can achieve in a drought.  [smile]

Best wishes.

[member=60678]slalom[/member]