There's a lake behind our house. Geese love lakes. Therefore, we've been having a few problems with some large feathered birds at our house.
Apparently some of the flock decided it would be a swell idea to hang out in the far end our yard. No, nope, uh-uh. For one thing, this means poo everywhere, since geese do their duty approximately once every 60 seconds. For another thing, Winston believes goose poo is a delicious delicacy arranged for his personal enjoyment. Yuck.
To make matters worse, two of the birds actually came strolling up to the back door and rooted around in plantings right next to the house. Apparently this signifies their readiness to move in, build a nest, and have a plethora of little geese. Geese become quite aggressive and will attack anyone if they have babies to protect. Not to be uncharitable, but I refuse to be held hostage by birds in my own yard. After all, this isn't a Hitchcock story.
So first I tried going out and shooing them away. The birds would casually waddle out of range and then return the second I went inside. Next I tried making loud noises. No dice. Then I swished cellophane paper in the air. Same result. We were obviously at war, and the geese were winning.
I consulted the internet for suggestions. Apparently the best method to keep geese away is by using a herding dog such as a Border Collie or Australian Shepherd. I had a talk with Winston and we decided to try the goose herding business. He runs to the end of his lead and the geese stroll away. Since Winston stayed outside longer than I could do, the geese apparently decided to avoid further annoyance by moving into a yard three houses away.
Winston may be smaller than even the tiniest goose, but in my book he's an honorary border collie.
After all, it's not the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog.
