Serenity Area

Before

In the backyard, I have a small part that I've converted into my "serenity area." It started off with a pine tree, 2 big smooth rocks, and a barrel flower pot. I found myself enjoying using the big rock as a seat to chill out. I plant colorful flowers in the pot. 
Last year, I dug out a small area in front of where I sit and placed stepping stones, mulch,  and various plants. I put in plants that are supposed to spread and crawl around the stones, and also plants that are nice to touch (silver mound). There is also a bird feeder by the pine tree. It's a nice spot to sit in and throw the ball for Niko to catch. It quickly became my resting spot after doing garden work. When Niko sees me working on my vegetable garden, he usually knows it's not playtime. But as soon as I get a drink and sit down in the serenity area, he runs up with his tennis ball. I can also look over at my vegetable garden to reflect at the hard work I put into it.

Lately, when Niko is outside by himself, I would spy him in my serenity area. Thankfully, he does not dig in that area or eat the plants. I've found him quietly resting on the mulch and it makes me feel good that my little project is benefiting Niko as well.  I still think he is the reason my plants don't get eaten by rabbits and other animals (Niko the scarecrow).
There are some very nice gardens designed just for pets out there. Niko and I are both envious.  If you are thinking of doing an area for your canine friends to hang out in, be sure that all the plants you choose are not toxic to dogs.
Here's a photo I found of pet gardens:

http://realestate.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=24141147

Murder Mystery

Out in the backyard, we have a tether system for Niko to spend time outside without running away. It is a zip-line that runs from the deck to the bottom of the hill. A cord that Niko is hooked up to is attached to it and it runs up and down the hill. I spend a lot of time out there doing gardening stuff and Niko is sure to be out there with me. He enjoys being outside and is well behaved. When we're inside, he oftens stands by the door indicating he wants outside time. We leave him out there 15 mins at a time for him to do his potty business, especially right before bed time.
The usual process goes this way:
1) We walk out the back door onto the deck
2) Attach the cord to Niko's collar
3) Niko stands in front of the baby gate and stares out earnestly
4) We open the gate
5) Niko runs down the steps (once after it rained, Niko ran so fast he slipped down the stairs like a wild cartoon animal)
6) Niko darts to all four possible corners to sniff out his friends (I can only speculate they are bunnies, squirrels, chipmunks, and birds)
7) We check on him from the window from time to time and he's usually resting on the grass like a lazy cow (see picture)

Well, one morning, we found a dead and mauled up chipmunk on the grass near the deck. It was a fresh kill. We can't conclusively say it was Niko who did it, but the evidence is stacked against him, As seen in the Killer Instinct post, Niko has plenty of practice with this crime. I've seen him chase chipmunks around the yard, but they outrun him before Niko runs out of tether line. One final argument is that Niko's breeder told us that Niko's father would kill and bring him back woodchucks. This Shiba Inu might look cute and harmless, but you do the math.


Between this occurrence and the raccoon encounter (I didn't think to sanitize the food bowl the raccoon ate out of), I was worried that Niko might have been exposed to rabies. He is up to date on his vaccinations, but I was still concerned. I looked up symptoms online and observed him for a few days. The online references I found said the infected animal starts to act erratically. We laughed at that because Niko has his crazy spouts of energy at random times so it'd be hard to tell. It's been over a week now and we think the coast is clear. Niko is healthy. However, the question about the chipmunk remains, "who dunnit?"