Re: help, voles!

**M* L* <m*@earthlink.net>**

After voles consumed a 12-foot row of potatoes, I let my beagle dig 
in the potato patch in pursuit of critters.  One flew out between her 
legs, along with clods of earth, and she paid no attention.  I 
stomped on it, thought it was a rat, but did notice its short 
tail.  After disposing of it, I came indoors and looked in a book of 
mammals, where I learned it was a vole.  Then in succession, a cairn 
terrier constantly hunted them, did very little discernible damage; 
years later a terrierXschnauzer was too polite to even brush aside 
sweet potato vines in pursuit of audible voles, but when we began to 
dismantle the garden after frost, he went after them with a 
vengeance.  It just depends on the dog.  Margaret L

> >Terriers are great "vole-ers."  Cats merely wait for them to surface,
> >but a terrier digs them out then consumes them.  If they're really
> >large, nearly rat-sized, my terrier leaves them in our beaten paths
> >so we can see and dispose of them.
>
>Who does more damage? The vole or the dog? (the garden must look 
>JUST lovely...dead plants and big holes in the ground...). But I do 
>love the terriers (especially my little Jack Russell back home)!
>
>Carlo A. Balistrieri
>The Gardens at Turtle Point
>Tuxedo Park, NY 10987
>Zone 6  (845.351.2049)
>Visit:   www.botanicalgardening.com

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