Maybe it is just me but now that the snow is almost gone my yard, as always this time of year, looks like a sacred burial ground gone terribly wrong. My dog have dragged in lord only knows what but I can give a partial list here.

The llama that died earlier this winter, the one whos body went as a scrafical offering to the eagles, found its way home. A few cow parts, lower leg with hoof and skin still attached, and what I might only be able to guess at the entire scrotum sac of another cow/steer. Not to mention the many deer bits and pieces around the place. It really is gross. Yea and my son just reminded me of all the poop too, leave it to a kid.

Does anyone else have this problem with their animals dragging in body parts? I do not, really I don't, let my dogs run free. They go out when I go out but every once in awhile they take off. That is when they bring back these jucey tid bits. I must say when the little dog, about the size of a sheltie, runs around with a llama leg it is very funny. He is so proud of himself as the leg, yes it is the full one, swings back and forth in his little jaws and he gets to running all lopsided from the legs movement. Maybe you would have to see it to think it was funny.

What do you do with these treasures? I'm not sure I want to load them into the car and haul them to the dump. Should I have the first bon fire of the season? Suggestions please!!!

Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 08, 2002

Answers

Given the health concerns with rotten meat and flies, I’d go for the bon fire and make sure that the dogs don’t get ahold of the bones after they have been cooked (brittle and splintering).

Might try providing your dogs with bones of your choice (without hide and rotting meat), perhaps that would slow down their searching for parts and bringing them home.

Then again, a lot of amino acid supplements are rumored to be derived from ground up cow hides.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 08, 2002.

bonefire and lime in the pit.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 08, 2002.

So far my dogs haven't brought any goodies home to share. What they like to do is find the biggest piles of fresh dung to roll in. Green squishy droppings are best. Fence time. I keep the Basset on a leash at all times when he is out of the fenced area (he still finds the poop in the woods). I couldn't trust him not to go nuts if a rabbit were within a half mile. I wouldn't know what to do with large animal remains. I will watch this post with interest. Seems to me you can't burn it up completely. I know that my Aussie will eat the chared remains of a campfire if something interesting (like leftover stew) was thrown in and burned up. In the compost pile....forget it. I have to keep the dogs totally away from that. Dig dig dig. Gotta love 'em. I think your oldest boy was unwise to point out the little piles of treasure in the yard. Sounds like a good chore for him. hehehehehehe. Good luck Susan! BTW...missing your IM's.

-- Susan In Michigan (cobwoman@yahoo.com), April 09, 2002.

My dog likes to go visit the neighbors pig pen, he comes home smelling like something that should be dumped on the garden. Once in a while he brings home a deer leg, shows it off to me(like I'd be so proud of him)then just leaves it there for me to clean up. Susan isn't it amasing the things that get unearthed during the thaw.

-- Sherry (tlnifty@ecenet.com), April 09, 2002.

hi susan i usually just lurk here,but had to get in on this one.my dogs also bring home everything you described(all but the lama bones,no lamas around here,and my dogs are shelties very funny to see them carry a huge cow leg bone! what we do now is dig a huge hole about 6' deep in the fall. we put all the butcher left overs in this from winter then burn it a few times through the winter and bury it in the spring, we also keep a board with bricks on it over it. one day this winter i couldn't find one of my little girl dogs, hunted all over for her then remmembered my son had been down at the hole that am,sure enough went down there and there she was stuck in the hole!legs to short to get out and she didn't want to bark because she knew she was going to catch hell for being in there lol.needless to say now if one of the boys go down there i check to make sure the boards and bricks are put back.

-- cindy young ( Mich) (youngsponderosa@coslink.net), April 09, 2002.

I am so glad I am not alone in this. I do get the dogs bones of their own. Our grocery store sells knuckle bones and a couple of times a year I will get the dogs bones. They just seem to enjoy the wild stuff better. One year one of my dogs came home with a BIG fish head. For the life of me I couldn't figure out where he got it. The lake is 1/4 mile away and this dog hates water. Then it occured to me, the Eagles!!!! I'll tell you it is very strange to walk through the woods and find dead fish and bones laying around.

I'm not sure digging such a big hole is going to be possible, at least not until summer. I may just gwt a burning permit and have a bonfire.

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 09, 2002.

Why don't you get the stew pot going.....

yum yum

-- Jim-mi (hartalteng@voyager.net), April 10, 2002.

Jimmi I thought of that (in jest) and just knew when I put this on the forum someone would suggest it. Actually I was expecting Jay to come up with a recipe he had tried once. That's o.k., so you got any recipes? LOL

Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 10, 2002.