Dog life in the desert?

Our dogs have been getting rattlesnake shots for several years now. We don't normally see them where we live, but we do travel to places where they are around. I also plan to take Ollie the rescue dog to snake aversion class in the spring. Those Mojave Green rattlesnakes are VERY BAD NEWS.

As far as needing grass to poop. Our very first Lab, Lucky, would only poop on top of a bush. Not terribly easy to clean up after! Fortunately, we lived in the country when we had him, and he found that a stray alfalfa plant did just fine. We didn't have enough of it to harvest, but there were plenty to use as outhouses.

Good luck. My 2 guys are "Michigan" dogs through and through - found the arid grass of drought-stricken Oregon and Washington NOT to their liking. Of course, being males, they were happy to "mark" rocks - but pooping required grass of some sort....

On one of our trips in the high desert of California we came across a camper who had laid out a 6 foot by 3 foot piece of artificial grass. I was curious so I wandered over and asked about the fake grass. He stated that it was the only way he could get his dogs to do there business in the desert. He joked that it looks natural, feels natural and when the dogs are done it smells natural.

Well my nephew moved from Ohio to Vegas and the dog had major issues because he didn't have grass to do his business. The solution?? He has a section of sod flown in once a month for the dog to do his duty. Yep, his kid is pretty spoiled too.

pennysmom09 wrote:
Thanks everyone for this great information!! I never heard of the rattlesnake shot, I guess we get it in AZ?

My vet in PA has them.

One caveat they gave me is that it is some help for most venemous snakes in the US but none for the unique venom of the Mojave Rattlesnake found around West TX, NM and AZ. It's not a magic bullet but it might buy you some time getting to an emergency vet.

LJAZ wrote:
Dogs do fine in the desert. My yard is about an acre fenced mostly natural desert with a strip of lawn near the back porch to keep the dust down. The dogs actually prefer not using the grass most of the time. And it's a lot easier to pick up when it's not on the lawn.

As for rattlesnakes, they will be in hibernation from around November until mid-March so depending on how long you'll be staying you probably won't need to worry about them.

Thanks....that's very encouraging!

Dogs do fine in the desert. My yard is about an acre fenced mostly natural desert with a strip of lawn near the back porch to keep the dust down. The dogs actually prefer not using the grass most of the time. And it's a lot easier to pick up when it's not on the lawn.

As for rattlesnakes, they will be in hibernation from around November until mid-March so depending on how long you'll be staying you probably won't need to worry about them.

BCSnob wrote:

pennysmom09 wrote:

BCSnob wrote:
They should be fine without the green grass. Be aware of foxtails and sandburs.

How will I recognize these?

Search internet for info on these.

sandbur/grassbur


foxtails (plant version of porcupine quill)

We call these goathead stickers here and they're found all over. My poor dogs got some on their pads while stopped at a rest stop in SW Idaho on our way to Wyoming.

Thanks everyone for this great information!! I never heard of the rattlesnake shot, I guess we get it in AZ?

Beware of "Jumping Choya Cactus"

We lived in Phoenix area in the 1970's
These are relatively small, usually no more than a couple feet tall, as I remember. They usually have several arms. They really do not jump out and grab you or your pets, but seems like they do. Their thorns are barbed and cantilevered so if you brush up against one they come off and stick to you or your pet.
I remember a friend's dog who tried to bite one. It took a long painful time to pull all the them out.

Just make sure someone points one out to you so you know what to watch out for.

By all means go to AZ. It is a great place with many things to see and do.