1001 uses for a pet dog

It would take years to count all the ways in which our dogs enrich our lives, but I thought I'd make a start with this one.

Penny is really good at cleaning off any meat from birds' wings found on the ground.

A family member picked up a beautiful wing from a parrot a few weeks ago, thinking to use it in an art project. (It was before the awful fires, so we don't have to feel bad about the death, because it was probably in the natural run of events.) She put it out in the garden so ants could clean it up, but Penny found it and treasured it for days. No-one was allowed close enough to notice what she was doing.



And what was she doing? She was working hard to clean it for us. And the result? Lovely items for a collage.

alligator weed and dogs

What has alligator weed got to do with dogs? As far as I know, nothing. That's why Penny stayed at home when I went to a talk given by ranger Matt Strong on the noxious Alligator Weed, which has made its appearance in the Darebin Creek.

On Friday 20 February I posted about this weed, thinking it was already in Darebin Parklands, where we walk most days, but I was spotting the wrong water plant. The government website says;

Alligator weed Alternanthera philoxeroides is an Argentinean plant that was first reported in Australia in the 1940s and has since spread along the east coast. If not controlled, the weed can completely cover the surface of water bodies and wetlands, affecting native flora and fauna and agriculture.

Matt said it has the potential to be disastrous in Victoria but it's not prevalent in our park yet. His advice to anyone who thinks they've found the plant is to report it to the rangers, but not to touch it, because it reproduces from any little bit. Here's a picture of it.


(I found this photo at the New Zealand site of Environment Waikato and I believe the picture was copyright free for non-commercial use.)

The main distinguishing features of the weed are the fact that two leaves come out at the same spot on the stem and that there are white flowers near the top. The flowers are really a little cluster of flowers and to me they felt quite spiky when Matt passed a plant around the meeting.

I guess Penny and I should keep our eyes open when we walk next time. I wouldn't want this plant to smother our lovely creek.

swimming in Darebin Parklands

Penny and I took a break from sadness and stress yesterday afternoon and tried out the Darebin Creek. Although there are weeds choking some areas and the level is low, the water actually looked okay. Well, Penny obviously thought so.



Of course, the object of any swim is to fetch a ball.

And when you come out you have to be very focused and ready to leap after the other ball in your human's hand.



Then it was time for another ball-game, this time on land.



And finally, we headed off into the sunset.

dogs swimming in local creeks

Sometimes Penny still swims in the Darebin Creek on hot days, but lately the water level is low and there is a horrible weed growing in the creek. I think I've seen it in the Merri Creek, too. I guess that it's Alligator Weed, because Darebin Parklands ranger Matt Strong is giving a talk about this weed next Tuesday in the parklands environment centre.

With temperatures due to be high again soon, it's great if dogs can swim, but there aren't many places to do it nowadays. We usually walk once a week at Gardiners Creek, but lately that creek's water has become very polluted and everyone who walks there has to keep dogs on lead for fear they jump into the water.

For many reasons I wish it would rain - to water our farmers' crops; to freshen our gardens; to bring our creeks and rivers to life; to put moisture into the air so fires won't kill us, our pets and our bush creatures.

But not heavy rain yet...we don't want all that fire-fighting foam to wash into the dams.

in the aftermath of the fires we reflect on what happened

I walked in Darebin Parklands with Penny today and reflected on the events that have terrified Victorians over the last nine days. The speed with which disaster overtook us has left everyone traumatised, and it will be years before we recover.

We've got plans to make houses safer and a major enquiry will study ways to make the bush safer from fire. But it needs to rain. That's the bottom line. As I walked through the parklands and looked around, I remembered that it all goes back to that basic need. Water. Water to make the plants stay green and water to make our air moist enough that it won't simply burst into flames.

I was reading on mark lawrence's blog the miraculous escape of one of his friends who saw the fire come close:

She told me of how they watched as the very air ignited from the extreme heat and ferocity of the fire. How where as the top of one hill was ablaze, the air at the top of the neighbouring hill suddenly exploded in a ball of flames and set that hill ablaze. The fire was still some 3 kms away or so, sure to destroy their home, and they were prepared to leave when it go too close when the late change came through and started blowing the fire in another direction and their home was saved.

I guess the air ignited because of the oils given off by the eucalypts, but I'm not sure.

From another local blog, by Ross Hill, I followed a link to the Boston Globe Big Picture blog, where there are images of the fires. (You might not like to look at number 16.)

To return to our walk in the park...

The first thing I saw was wonderful, a sign that life goes on, one of my all-time favorite birds was sitting in a tree over the creek. (If you click on the picture it will come up larger in another window.)



And the view of the bridge at the bottom of the hill was great.



Then we passed the duck ponds. And that's when I started to feel sad once more. The water is suffering from the lack of rain and its bright green color is a sign of its terrible quality..




As in our own garden, it's now a question of what to save, where to put the precious water. And I'm grateful for the work the rangers are doing to save the historic Chinese Black Mulberries, planted over one hundred and thirty years ago. Big containers of water and a mix of wetting agent drip constantly into the ground.



It's impossible to save all the plants and it's sad to see some trees die.



I was determined to have a more upbeat post today, but I guess it just hasn't happened.

It MUST rain soon!

dogs still go walking even in times of trouble

Penny was the one who cut the walk short today, when she sat down and indicated she was ready to head home.


She had gone out with one of her other humans, while I was at church, praying for the people (and animals) affected by these fires. Not just praying, of course - there was a collection and a chance to talk with people whose families have suffered, and to discuss long-term ways the local charity can help, when the first crisis eases.

It's warm, but Penny can usually walk longer than she did today. Probably the smoke in the air affected her. Here's a picture of the usual view over Darebin Parklands compared to today's view:

many people offer respite accommodation to pets

Emails have been flying around the local Net lately asking people to take in pets from bushfire affected area on a temporary basis. We registered early and we've been trying to think through our strategy for introducing a potentially traumatised dog into the household.

But today I heard that the small firm that is organising the respite care has received ten thousand emails and five hundred calls a day!

People certainly are willing to help.

I think we will wait and see. It's bound to be a long road to recovery.

I heard that someone needs a home for two large pet pigs. They are to be relocated from Daylesford tomorrow. If anyone local is able to help, maybe you could leave a comment here and I'll pass on your information.

We are still reading the CFA updates each hour or so on the weather conditions around Warburton, our favorite place other than Melbourne and the home of our friends, both human and canine.

So far so good.

But we need rain. Lots of heavy rain.
Soon.
And cool, windless weather.