Keeping a dog from drinking.....

    • Puppy

    Keeping a dog from drinking.....

    I'm not a dog owner. I do however own a nice bird-bath that's kept out front of my house. It has a small statue of a goddess that pours (Recirculates) water back into the bath.

    We have some Scurrilous dog owners in the neighborhood that allow their dogs to roam free. Quite a few have found this fountain and have proven themselves capable of draining this thing every other day.

    Is there anything I can put into the water that would be harmless to the dogs, but would make the water taste awfull? Something that birds and the rest of the wildlife wouldn't notice?

    This also has to be harmless to the pumping mechanism (No sugary stuff like Tonic water as someone suggested to me) and will not produce a bad reaction with the anti-algae agent I'm using.

    Thanks,
    Mr BO
    • Gold Top Dog
    Depending on what type of anti-algae agent you are using, it can be very toxic stuff.  I have a little pond with goldfish and a waterfall in my courtyard and have had to put up a fence around it to keep my pup out.  Even if the dogs are not drinking large quantities of the anti-algae agent it can cause cancer if ingested over time.  That is what it says on the back of the container I have.  Anyways, I wish I had some suggestions for you on how to keep the neighborhood pups out, but I'm gonna bet that someone on this forum has had a similar situation.
    • Gold Top Dog
    A drop or two of clove essential oil might do the trick, but I don't know if the birds would be put off by it.  Another thing to try is smearing a little Vicks Vapo Rub under the rim.  Dogs generally hate the smell of that and steer clear. 
    • Gold Top Dog
    There are some motion sensor sprinklers that would deter dogs.  Presumable the birds would not set it off.  And you wouldn't have to add anything to the fountain.  Here's a link to one such, a bit pricy . . .
     
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