A Study in Orange with my New Garden Assistant!

I do not actively seek orange shades for my garden...however, I do have orange here and there for a deliberate touch of brightness and to lend an element of surprise!

My daughter's pup, Romeo, apparently loves orange and has recently discovered the joys of gardening alongside me!  The closer he can get to the action (underfoot, in my lap, on my back!), the more delighted he appears to be!

I have two raised planters which my husband assembled using an old outdoor garden bench and table.  They require new top dressing and will be planted up with spinach and lettuce in preparation for the cooler weather ahead. 

Romeo took his job very seriously, wildly digging up all the soil after I'd denuded the beds of the old plants.  He then moved across to get busy in my old planted-up wheelbarrow.  I persuaded him to leave the last remaining carnation, as it's still flowering and has a lovely scent.  He seemed hesitant, as he was sure I'd said 'dig it all up!'  For a moment, we had a mental battle, but he conceded defeat...

...when I suggested we rather water the rosebush growing in one of the pots alongside and told him he could sniff and lick off all the droplets from the petals...before actually devouring the rose...

...just as soon as I'd first taken a couple of pictures for my memory bank! 

This is his (and the beetles!) favourite daisy, so he asked me to take a close-up picture of this, too!  Fortunately, they're a little on the prickly side, so he avoids actually eating them! The roses that he can reach, aren't so lucky! 

Yes, Romeo is still with us, keeping me on my toes!  He and Toby have finally become good pals and we're able to take them all for their daily walk on the field, in relative peace.  Up till now, I haven't been able to easily capture any of their playful antics on camera, as with all four of them rushing/charging around gleefully, it's quite a handful.  Toby has his 1st Birthday on Wednesday and Romeo is now just short of 5 months old.  Almost, ALMOST house-trained...but still not quite there!  We took them all to our Vet for their annual shots and deworming, yesterday.  It was quite an exercise in control, but thankfully, went quite smoothly.

While we were there with our four, a distraught elderly couple arrived with their DOA (dead on arrival) 13 year old dog that had tragically drowned in their swimming pool.  It was a harsh reminder that, as responsible pet owners, we can never take for granted that our water-safe pets will not suffer accidental drowning, when we're not around to keep an eye on them.  The following is a very good article to read on this subject...

http://thepetshrink.info/2008/03/25/pool-proof-your-dog-and-prevent-drowning/