Heck, they look so innocent don't they and if it wasn't for their damned cute looks I'm sure we would all be pet-free. Yet for most gardeners keeping a garden and a dog or a cat seem at complete odds with each other.

Fortunately Marty Hair from Freep.com has this great advice to offer us;

And dog-lovers must occasionally look the other way when impatiens get squashed and petunias trampled.

It's not the impatiens or the petunias I'm worried about - it's the hand-picked tulips that are just about to bloom that put me on the edge. It wouldn't be me looking the other way, let me assure you. I'd be making sure everyone else was looking the other way as I buried the little ferret....

Seriously, the two can co-exist. It won't be long before your local botanical garden announces its "Bring Your Pet Along" weekends and encourages you to leave the leash behind. Then you and your best friend can enjoy frolicking in the gardens, and don't worry about the petunias and impatiens - the resident horticulturalist is sure to "look the other way".

The best piece of advice to come out of the article was this gem;

A fence should be the first thing installed in a yard that will be home to a dog

Damned right. It will go right across the front of the garden to stop the mangy mutt from even thinking about getting its paws into my gorgeously manicured lawns.

On the other side of the coin, a fence is going to look fairly ugly so maybe I'll just go with a dog containment system that instantly pulverizes any animal - apart from birds, frogs and other natural creatures - upon impact.

Good tips Marty...