[Mom of 2 Beagles]

Tonight I am setting my humane cat trap and all my rat snap traps all over the yard. We have had some critters getting in our yard at night running all over leaving their scent. In the mornings my Beagles go crazy running, barking, baying. We get up early, so I have to bring them back in and wait till 7 a.m. which is when the neighbors get up. Except today is Sunday and I expect some might want to sleep in later today. I've had them out about 4 different times for short periods. Sadie's high pitched barking drives even me crazy. It is a gorgeous day, but yet I have to keep them inside until later because they are too noisy. I just wish all critters would stay out of our yard!!

 

[Erin]

I feel your pain! We have a rabbit living in our backyard under our shed and the dogs go CRAZY when he's been around. Sometimes I get the squirt bottle and when they start barking like wild banshees I rush out there and squirt them. LOL Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and I have to bring them in. We've had a neighbor (not sure who) complaining and calling the cops on one of our other neighbor's dogs and I don't want to have to deal with that at all.

 

[weed30]

A few things that will help:

Attach 1/4 hardware cloth to the bottom of your fence, so things can't crawl through. You can also bury it to a depth of 12 to discourage moles and voles.

Buy some Coyote urine and spray the perimeter of the yard. Not sure how your beagles would react, but it will deter rabbits and some other critters.

Don't get me started on cats....I will never understand why people think it's ok to let their cats roam. I wonder if bird spikes would keep them out? Not an attractive look on the top of your fence, but...

 

[Gingergoose]

DaisyTheDevilDog,

Those are good ideas. The sell deterrents for (and from) almost anything. I've always preached soake ammonia rags at the entrance point but they don't help when they enter over a fence.

~Denise

 

[jassy]

Our yard seems to be right in the path of travel for the local raccoons. We have to be so careful when we let Maggie out in the evening or early morning if it is still dark. She has treed several and I am so afraid of her getting hurt....especially if she comes on a mama with babies.

 

[martiknox]

Our back yard is not fenced in so I can't let the girls out for business. Luckily our girls sleep in their kennels until around 7:15 or so. They run around the house, then to the sliding doors. I put on their harnesses and off we go. We generally spot a rabbit or jump one somewhere in the yard on our way to the street. Cecil starts yapping that scenting shreeking, which sounds like I am killing her and Brandy joins in baying. I can't allow chasing or I would fall, but usually the bunny hops on off when they hear the girls. I have tried deer/rabbit repellent, but it never works too good. I have stuffed logs in the holes the rabbits, *****, and gofer turtles have dug under my neighbors fence, but they keep coming back. After we leave the yard, they no longer bark. All of this is in daylight as is their evening walk. No outside after dark is our policy. When they are in the playpen outside, they do the normal saying hello and responding to other dogs outside, but after that unless something strange is going on, they are pretty quiet. I have asked all the neighbors on all sides and behind us and they don't bother them. Everyone has dogs so they are pretty deaf to dogs barking. Sorry you are having such a problem.

 

[BookerMoose]

Wow, I had no idea there were problems like this - not having a yard (like us) can have its advantages, I guess!

 

[fauxpasta]

We're pretty lucky in having a fenced-in back yard. The front yard can be seen through the windows, and Bones has taken to poking her nose through the blinds in the study to look out. I lift the blinds so she doesn't destroy them when she gets excited. But sometimes, like today, she sees something out there once and whines about it for hours. Right now, as I type, she is up in her daddy's chair, trying to get close to me to get my attention, and a few moments ago in the kitchen, she kept looking at the harness/leash drawer. Moooom, let's go see what that thing is! It desperately needs my attention!

Yesterday, she was more excited than normal, howling and etc., and so I got down under the table next to that window to see what the matter was. One of the wild rabbits that lives in the neighborhood was stretched out and relaxing on the freshly-mown grass in the shade about 10 feet from the window, and Bones couldn't stand it.

There's not a lot I can do to stop her from looking out the window except rearrange the study to put the couch against the window, but that's difficult to do because of the furniture, electrical outlets, and internet cable set-up in the room. I am just very glad we have few to no wild animals that come into the back yard, though I wish they'd scare off that scolding blue jay that built a nest in the tree in our back yard.

 

[Murphys Dad]

It seems that some of you who live in populous areas have more problems with critters that we do. Since we live on acreage in the woods, you'd think this would be a big problem for us. Most of the time, however, it isn't. Usually if they spot something, it's not in the fenced area right around the house, but out in the large fenced area.

A couple of weeks ago, they were raising a ruckus and, when I followed the racket to check, I found a turkey sitting high in a tree.

 

[Mom of 2 Beagles]

This morning for some reason we had no barking. No scents found to bark and carry on about. It was a very nice peaceful morning!

We live in the city of Destin, Florida. It is a small touristy city, but very populated. We have lots of neighbor cats and we have seen rats living under our shed. Hubby saw a racoon lately.

 

[pjarendall]

Blue does the same thing in the mornings. It's a little embarrassing so what I've started doing is just taking him for his morning walk right away. What's interesting about it, though, is that it has been raining non-stop at night for the last month, so you would think that the scents would get washed away or the critters would find a good hiding spot and stay there. I think he is smelling a cat or maybe a possum. We have those big Muscovy ducks that are always in the yard and he pays absolutely no attention to them or the big egrets.

 

[Erin]

Originally Posted By: Mom of 2 BeaglesThis morning for some reason we had no barking. No scents found to bark and carry on about. It was a very nice peaceful morning!

We live in the city of Destin, Florida. It is a small touristy city, but very populated. We have lots of neighbor cats and we have seen rats living under our shed. Hubby saw a racoon lately.

I forget that you live so close to us!!

 

[Mom of 2 Beagles]

Erin, do you get many critters in your yard in Crestview?

 

[Genie]

While we were in Alabama at our other house, my daughter started feeding stray cats at our Connecticut house.

She started off with one stray, now she has that stray, a mama cat and her kittens, all feral, and a cat who actually lives down the street but comes up here looking for handouts.

A few minutes ago I opened the door to let in our cat, Poe, and there sat the mama cat and the original stray she started feeling. Both were looking at me like, O.K. we're here. Where's the food?

Shiloh has a great time sniffing where they've been whenever we go outside, and arooing. I know the neighbors are thrilled we're back!