Friday 2 April 2010

dogs and weedkiller sprays



Yesterday's walk in Darebin Parklands was a bit scary, because the weeds had been sprayed. I was grateful that a colored spray had been used, so we could see which areas to avoid.



But of course Penny didn't know to avoid them and I had to call her away. She seemed surprised that suddenly, after five years of walking along the same path, one side was out of bounds. But she's an obliging dog, so she obeyed me. (Note that I don't say she's an obedient dog. There's a fine difference, lol.)



Luckily there were plenty of other areas where a dog could chase balls and, after capturing them, roll on them.



Herbicides can be quite dangerous to dogs, both in the short term and in long terms effects, but an article at Dogtime says of Roundup-type (Glyphosate)sprays,
Once it's dry, the chemical has been taken down to the root of the plant and the lawn is considered dog-safe.
On the other hand, Suite 101 has an article on natural herbicides that says of Glyphosate-based herbicides:
Glyphosate, the ingredient in Roundup, is toxic to amphibians. Glyphosate is safe for use near mammals, but there is some debate as to whether it is an endocrine disruptor.
Since the parklands are home to many treasured varieties of amphibians, I don't think that would be the main ingredient of the spray used.

I guess I could keep reading more and more about herbicides and just get more worried and confused. But the bottom line is that I have faith in the rangers who look after the parklands.

And I'll make sure Penny doesn't enter the sprayed areas.

12 comments:

Teal'c said...

Hiya Penny and Parlance!
Happy Easter from Sydney! :)

Tealc's mom:
It is always the way - as longer you search the net as more worried you get... But using colored spray is a great idea. Haven't seen it before...

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing such useful info, although, like you, we're skeptical. I'm impressed people were made aware of the spray in the first place. Didn't know weed killer came in colors. I like the idea.
Twinkie

Molly the Airedale said...

We are so lucky to have our loving moms looking after us all the time, Penny!

Love ya lots
Maggie and Mitch

Two Pitties in the City said...

Colored sprays are such a good idea. I haven't heard of that out here; as far as I know it's fend for yourself.

JD and Max said...

Hi Penny - weedkillers can be a scary thing. Our local council made an error about 5 years ago and a local field was accidently sprayed twice - several dogs in the area died which resulted in several lawsuits (which is a shame in itself as that won't bring the doggies back.) The idea of a coloured weedkiller is great by the way, we don't get that here! Schnauzer snuggles - JD and Max.

curator said...

I know how you feel. I get nervous even when our lawn guy comes, and he's very careful to use treatments that wear off/soak in within a day and don't harm pets.

parlance said...

Teal'c mom, you're right, the idea of using color sure is great.

parlance said...

Twink, I'm also sceptical, about most chemical treatments for plants and gardens in general.

parlance said...

Schwang, I've never seen the colored sprays here either, although there is generally a notice warning us about spraying.

parlance said...

Schwang, I meant I had never seen colored sprays before this one.

parlance said...

Oh, JD and Max, that is a terrible, terrible story!!

parlance said...

Curator, I'm trying to maintain a chemical-free garden (and house). Not just for Penny's sake, but for us humans too.