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A red merle Australian Shepherd with wide blue eyes sits in a dug-up garden bed with soil and uprooted plants around her. 18 / 26

The Flower Bed Was Almost Done. Then the Aussie Went to Work.

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A red merle Australian Shepherd sits in the middle of a freshly dug flower bed with her pale blue eyes wide and her tongue peeking out. Dirt is spattered across her white chest, uprooted plants lie beside her with their roots exposed, and a blue watering can and a clay pot are tipped over on the ground behind her. A wooden fence runs along the back. Her speckled copper and white coat blends right into the garden. We'll call her Juniper, and she is wide awake.

Australian Shepherds are intelligent, energetic herding dogs who need a lot of daily activity. Without a job to do, they can invent their own, and digging is a common one. Lots of exercise, training games and puzzle toys help, and some owners give their dog a designated digging spot filled with loose soil and buried toys. Garden products such as fertilizers, mulch and slug bait can be harmful to pets, so keep them locked away and call your vet if you're concerned about anything your dog ate. Merle coats sometimes come with light-colored eyes, which are a normal part of the look.

Juniper doesn't seem to know what she did wrong. She was busy and effective, and the flower bed is certainly very well turned. The gardener will have some replanting to do, but she can still be proud of her excellent soil work.

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