Grandpa Earl Was Watering His Marigolds. Pepper Had Serious Questions About the Water.
Fine streams of water arc from the spout of a galvanized watering can and patter onto a cheerful bed of orange and yellow marigolds, purple pansies, and fresh green sprigs. Grandpa Earl crouches low beside the border in his denim overalls and tan work shirt, glasses perched on his nose, tipping the can with practiced care. A pair of gardening gloves lies on the path nearby, and the back steps and a few potted succulents bask in the soft daylight. Right up close, Pepper has planted herself beside the flowers, beard dripping just slightly, staring at the falling water with the intense, skeptical focus only a Schnauzer can manage.
Gardens are full of good smells and interesting textures for dogs, and a few precautions make them safer. Some fertilizers, weed killers, and pest baits can be harmful if a dog licks treated plants or walks through them and grooms their paws later, so read labels carefully and keep pets off freshly treated areas. Slug and snail baits are especially dangerous. Certain mulches, including cocoa bean mulch, can be a problem for dogs that like to chew. A number of common garden plants are also toxic to pets, so it is worth checking a reliable pet-safe plant list before planting. Terriers like Schnauzers may love to dig, so giving them their own digging spot can help protect the beds.
Pepper seems content to supervise rather than dig today. Earl's marigolds get their drink, the soil smells sweet and damp, and his loyal assistant looks ready to approve every single bloom.
