Dogs and Ponds?

I have a really small water feature in the gardens that I installed last year. We had hoped to get the electrical outlet fixed so we could hook up the dragonfly spitter but alas we never got it fixed. Last July we got a new puppy and she decided she could grab a quick drink here after a romp through the fields :( Now, this year, I'd love to finally get the electrical hooked up but not only is she drinking from the pond she steps into it, curls up and lays down to cool off! Maybe this is a stupid question but I don't want to take any chances. If we do hook up the pump is the electrical current strong enough to cause "problems" when she take a drink or decides to take a dip in the pond?

ABSOLUTELY NOT. If you have any electrical problems like you described it would be totally unsafe for people, as well as dogs. If you have any doubts as to how to hook up anything you should call someone who knows how, or hire an electrician.

Definitely shouldn't cause any problems...I walk through my pond, sit in my pond (lol), and constantly have my arms in it for maintenance. I can feel the pump running, but definitely can't feel ANY stray electricity.

depends on what kind of pump it is.... is it old, leaky or a new one? does it have protective cover or are you going to cover it with a pump cover? is it submersible or an external? You know what? I'd ask the seller or read the pump guide sheet/handbook to find out if it would be ok to touch the water when it is in operation. They usually have a warning on it if it isn't ok. If there is no warning then it is ok and go right ahead....

FrillyLilly, there aren't any "electrical problems", it's just that after many years moisture got into the outside receptacle and needs to be replaced where the pump will be connected. It's also the same receptacle where we have lighting connected for our gazebo and I miss having the lights on!

Susanne, I was thinking the same thing, I always have my arms in another small pond to clean it out after the winter with no problems but I'm just paranoid about Lucy's tongue being in there when she's taking a drink? I know one time when Phoebe was wet and accidentally touched my MIL's electric fence for her dog pen she really got zapped! Totally freaked her out and she ran off and we couldn't find her for a couple of hours! Hence my paranoia :(

Jensilaedi, here's the link for the fountain: http://www.kineticfountains.com/dragonfly-dripper-fountain.asp I don't have the information that came with this any longer, it was a gift three years ago and I'm just finally getting it hooked up! The site says it's a "grounded AC whisper pump (UL approved)" but I'm clueless what effect it would have for the dog drinking out of the pond? DH says it's not a problem but I'm always more cautious than he is whenever there's a question of any harm to our pets. Totally unrelated to my question but an example...we have a terrible problem with moles and voles in the gardens. He's willing to put bait in their tunnels to try to resolve the problem. I won't allow it because our cat is a voracious hunter and I'm afraid one of the voles he might catch has eaten the bait but hasn't died yet! Paranoid? Maybe, but I'd rather be safe than sorry :)

If it zaps the dog, it will zap anything else that touches it, and is TOTALLY VERY unsafe. TOTALLY.
An electric fence is supposed to work that way, and is amplified I am sure when you touch it wet.
but the pond should not have anything 'hot'. If it does, you should unplug everything immediately.

I think I'm just going to give up on the fountain idea for the pond :( Figured even if I do hook it up, Lucy's just going to knock it over! I finally had the camera with me yesterday when she returned from a run in the field. LOL

hey I totally do not think you are paranoid! We get mice in places we don't want them, like the truck or the garage (when Randy used to make me relocate the rat snakes) he wanted to put poison out but I said no way! I didn't want a mouse that had been poisoned to be eaten by anything wild or otherwise.

as for the fountain if it plugs in like a regular electrical item take and plug it into a gfi if it trips it you'll know that the pump is funky. As for your electrical problem, I'd get a new receptacle, if it's not a gfi get one and put it there and they sell weather tight outdoor covers and boxes that are way better than what they used to have. We changed out the ones on our low level lights as they were full of ants!

Oh my gosh that's so cute! I don't see any room for a pump in there either lol!

too cute.. but I think you should get lucy own pool thats a tad bit bigger.. I had a huge water garden and my dog never bothered it at all.. but they are all different...lol..

what about one of those plastic kiddie pools?

Angie, we did buy a new GFI receptable with a weather tight cover but I'm still not going to take any chances - Lucy's in this pond probably three times a day and if anything ever messed up with the electrical I'd be sorry :(

FrillyLilly, she has her own kiddie pool which she does use but unfortunately she likes this one better :(

understand totally! now my dogs, they've never seen water besides a bath tub lol! they prefer to lay in the baking sun in the gravel, but then they do have South African blood lines ;)

ldy_gardenermd - do you have Basenjis?

Rhodesian Ridgebacks :)

I have pools, I have dogs and I have Bogs. I also have Wire over the tops.

I have a small fountain in ground that my dogs drink out of and Ive never had any issues.. if you use a gfi protected outet to run your plug (which is what I do)to you will not have any issues.. I have both a bubbler in the little pond and have a spitter set up on the side of it and the worse thing that happens is Gracies tries to carry the spitter off.. if you do try to put it in place Lucy might not use it cause of the motion of the water.. most dogs dont like to get sprayed.. well.. except for my Gracie she loves getting hosed but shes just plain weird...

This message was edited Jun 21, 2010 12:26 PM

Got strips of wood too.

My dogs will get into the pools. Also get my fish. Been there, had it done.
so I just cover them. You can leave enough open where they can get a drink.

Our neighbor's lab discovered our pond and decided it was a great place to swim every day. My husband, being the sort that takes things into his own hands, chased it away with fire crackers and it never came back. It didn't seem like the neighborly thing to do, but I admit my pond denizons are much happier.

You see this pair. They will get in my ponds in a heartbeat. i keep them a tub of water to cool off in. Missy's mom was a Labrador retriever and we all know that is Waterdog, she loves to sit in my pools so that is why I use wire and wood slats to cover my pools. She thinks it's her pool; and she will throw my fish out of the pool. Well, that doesn't work so I had to do something. If it's breed into them they will go in that water. It's been so hot and that doesn't help, love my dogs so I had to do something so we could all be happy.

This message was edited Jul 21, 2010 9:32 AM

Your Border Collie knows You like that pond, chuckl, so it gets her attention, the big weasel. A little shock could be a good thing for her manners, teaches her to pay attention since THEY can smell the ozone aroun an electrical charge and THAT teaches her what the ozone is from. Wont hurt her, just that she wouldnt like it. Trust me, even horses can tell when an electrical fence is on or off, age on the pump tends to destroy the rubber gaskets when it is in the air and is a submersible pump and not left in the water, that can cause the shock. Border Collies are good at snake killing when taught you like that.

rcn48 - That's the cutest thing I've ever seen. Looks like that's Lucy's pond now.

Im a lab shep mix that hates the water.. go swiming?? no way!! shes an oddity among Labs cause usually they are water dogs but not my Fiona..lol...