animals Archives - Page 2 of 2 - DeckTec Outdoor Designs

Give the Dog a Groom

June 14th, 2014|Animals Out the Back Door, Blog|

What kind of dog do you have? Is yours a Rin-Tin-Tin in the making or Tramp, the smelly pound runaway? After you pet your dog, can you grab a potato chip, or do you run to the sink to wash your hands? Maybe it's time for Poopsy to have a bath. With the warmer weather, a lot of dog owners will be thinking of taking Fido out to the back deck for an annual bathing event, but if you listen to the grooming expert of Littleton's Wag 'N Wash, your key watch phrase is, "Be Prepared." "Everything needs to be right with you," said Mike Gacek, manager of Wag 'N Wash, "because the last thing you want to do is tell your dog, 'wait here, I need to run to the store for more shampoo.' "Working with dogs is like working with a two-year old. You have that window of [...]

Getting All Abuzz About Bees

May 31st, 2014|Animals Out the Back Door, Blog, Garden & Lawn Care|

In 2006 a new phenomenon in beekeeping hit the news. Both commercial and hobbyist beekeepers saw dramatic losses of bees in their apiaries, also known as beehives. This problem became known as CCD, or colony collapse disorder, and news items began to run regularly on this threat to human food production. Bee pollination is responsible for one-third of our food sources. The story is that as the bee goes, so does mankind. Today, another problem threatens bees, in that there seems to be an overabundance of people getting into apiary or beehive management without a great amount of knowledge, according to Marygael Meister of the DenverBee.org. For this reason, her organization is approaching beekeeping interest from the perspective of education. "We have an opportunity twice a month for applied learning at the apiary and theory learning from those who come to speak," said Marygael. "We're very serious about that; that [...]

It’s Baby Time—Let’s Keep Our Hands Off

March 22nd, 2014|Animals Out the Back Door, Blog|

Shh! Someone may be sleeping nearby. It's baby time in Colorado and our state is enjoying a burst of new births. But just as with humans, wild baby animals need to be treated with care. Jennifer Churchill, public information officer for Colorado's Parks and Wildlife, spent some time with your friends at DeckTec to update us on best nursery practices in the wild. "This time of year, the end of March through April, is baby season," said Jenn. "We can see all sorts of wonderful wildlife right now, especially baby birds and small mammals, out and about. The best thing to do when you see a baby critter is to let it be." Jenn said she realized this is difficult, because, as humans we want to nurture and care for babies, but Mother Nature looks after them pretty well. Jenn broke the animals you may see into these categories and [...]

Honk if you love Canada Geese

February 22nd, 2014|Animals Out the Back Door, Blog|

They're big and beautiful or they're obnoxiously present. They are loud and contentious or they are pleasant and only nest protective. Whether positive or negative, it seems that just about everyone has strong feelings for the Canada goose. So we asked a couple of local bird experts to let us in on some interesting information about a bird once threatened, yet now prolific across North America. Scott Menough of Wild Birds Unlimited spoke about a specific Canada goose pair that chose to nest immediately outside the radio station where he does his Saturday morning radio show, BirdTalk. "They put up crime tape to protect the birds," said Scott on a chuckle. "Imagine. The same people who cussed on the golf course about them, watched in fascination as the goslings grew." And that pretty much sums up the problem. Canada geese are delightful to watch as their flocks fly across the [...]

Protect Your Pets This Winter

December 7th, 2013|Animals Out the Back Door, Blog, Outdoor Living|

Pets add so much fun and love in our lives that it is no wonder we have as much as 164 million furry friends throughout homes in the United States.* But as winter's cold and snow keeps us humans inside, it is important to realize that our pets need much of the same sheltering and care. "Our highest times of lost animal intake is after heavy winds, snow, and thunder storms," said Operations Manager Susan Fredinburg of the Humane Society of the South Platte Valley. This low-euthanasia and not-for-profit shelter takes in strays and lost animals from seven cities in the Denver area, and does their best to either reunite a pet with their owner, or prepare the animal for adoption by another family. Susan said that the changing weather conditions she mentioned cause pets to jump backyard fences, dig holes underneath, and generally look for ways to escape their [...]