Oh Good Heavens! What a way to start out! Hugs all around!!!!!
A Doxie and a Lab, huh? One has been bred for a hundred years plus to dig after small critters.; the other is a bird dog by nature and breeding. Add to that the yard full of running squeaky-toys and you have a recipe for disaster. You can start over again. It hurts, but it's the best way to heal.
When you do, deter your digger with a concrete barrier. Dig a long trench around the perimeter of your coop and run, making sure it's right up against the base boards. Make it as deep as you dare, I'd try to go close to a foot. It should be 4-6 inches wide and run all the way around, without a gap. I dug mine in two stages, opposite sides together, so the edges would meet.
When the line trenches were dug, I filled them with powdered Quik-Dry concrete mix, hosed them down & mixed them to a thick paste with a hoe. When that was set, I did the other two sides. I now have a concrete barrier all the way around my coop and run, which is good, because my setter (bird dog)/ border collie mix is a digger, too! I planted marigolds in front of it and spread the mulch all the way back over the concrete. It looks nice ... at least it did until the flowers all dried out ... oops!
You can deal with the delinquent sitter, too, even though he's family. When you talk to him, go over what you wish he'd done (Please don't let the dogs stay out overnight, it's not safe for them or the birds.) Let the sadness over what happened flow ... not anger over his carelessness, but sadness over the loss of your pets. He'll get the point! And if he doesn't, someone else in the family will, and you can use a new house/pet-sitter, next time.
And on top of all that ... Welcome to BYC. This is a great community, full of sage advice, solid experience, creative problem solving and strong, soft shoulders to lean and cry on! We're all sorry about the circumstances, but very, VERY glad you're here.
A Doxie and a Lab, huh? One has been bred for a hundred years plus to dig after small critters.; the other is a bird dog by nature and breeding. Add to that the yard full of running squeaky-toys and you have a recipe for disaster. You can start over again. It hurts, but it's the best way to heal.
When you do, deter your digger with a concrete barrier. Dig a long trench around the perimeter of your coop and run, making sure it's right up against the base boards. Make it as deep as you dare, I'd try to go close to a foot. It should be 4-6 inches wide and run all the way around, without a gap. I dug mine in two stages, opposite sides together, so the edges would meet.
When the line trenches were dug, I filled them with powdered Quik-Dry concrete mix, hosed them down & mixed them to a thick paste with a hoe. When that was set, I did the other two sides. I now have a concrete barrier all the way around my coop and run, which is good, because my setter (bird dog)/ border collie mix is a digger, too! I planted marigolds in front of it and spread the mulch all the way back over the concrete. It looks nice ... at least it did until the flowers all dried out ... oops!
You can deal with the delinquent sitter, too, even though he's family. When you talk to him, go over what you wish he'd done (Please don't let the dogs stay out overnight, it's not safe for them or the birds.) Let the sadness over what happened flow ... not anger over his carelessness, but sadness over the loss of your pets. He'll get the point! And if he doesn't, someone else in the family will, and you can use a new house/pet-sitter, next time.
And on top of all that ... Welcome to BYC. This is a great community, full of sage advice, solid experience, creative problem solving and strong, soft shoulders to lean and cry on! We're all sorry about the circumstances, but very, VERY glad you're here.
Sorry for your loss. We live and learn. My pens fences are 5' high made of 2"x4" welded wire and chicken wire. I have electric wire around my coops and pens, concrete under the gates to the pens and netting covering all of my pens. All was done because of losses in the past. I have gotten a shock from touching the electric wire when I have forgotten to turn it off when working around the coops. It's a reminder to shut it off when I'm working out there. Every evening when I collect eggs I make sure it's on and have a tester to make sure it's working properly. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start over again. Good luck...
