Three lemon sharks cruise the shallow water at Lake Shoreline in Mountain View. Do you have a wildlife photo to share? Send a high resolution jpg to jmorris@bayareanewsgroup.com. (Courtesy of Ron Woods)
DEAR JOAN: I have a very skittish sheltie who escaped my backyard while I was out for supper. Neighbors tried to catch him but couldn't get near.
After searching for several hours my daughter and I finally found him and got him home. Do you have any "dog whisperer" advice on how to get him over this? It's scary if he ever gets out again.
Chris McWilliams
San Jose
DEAR CHRIS: You are wise to realize the danger. I'd recommend socializing your dog by taking him into settings where other people are. Gradually get him used to the situation and back off if he shows signs of distress.
I'd also sign him up for obedience classes. He'll not only become accustomed to be being around people and dogs, but he'll also learn to come when called.
Area pet supply stores usually offer training, but you also can ask you vet for recommendations. I'd welcome other suggestions from dog owners, too.
DEAR JOAN: I have a problem with my dog, Toby. He carries around a new stuffed animal that sings a song when pressed. He whines and cries and lays it down gently. He even tried to bury it in my couch.
This is unusual behavior for him. He is 15 months old and has torn apart every toy and stuffed animal with the exception of this one. Does he think this animal is a baby? I had to finally hide it because I could see he was becoming upset.
Diane Boatman
Benicia
DEAR DIANE: This is a fairly common behavior in some dogs. When they receive a toy that they treasure, they are so happy about it, they are overcome with joy. It's sort of like if you were given a gift of such value that it leaves you speechless.
The fact that he carries it around and tries to hide it shows that he knows he's got something special and wants to keep it safe.
He eventually should get over the awe, so I'd give it back to him.
Woodpecker help
A while ago I answered a letter about how to discourage woodpeckers, and here, with my thanks, are couple of suggestions from readers.
DEAR JOAN: We used to have a problem with woodpeckers pecking beneath the eaves of our roof until we installed a couple of these "attack spiders" (http://ift.tt/1j3l7wr). This product worked really well for us; no more woodpeckers.
Alfreda and Joe Gerhards
Bay Area
DEAR JOAN: I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the midst of many Douglas fir trees. We have a bird feeder and always have lots of birds around the house. We too had a problem with woodpeckers for many years. They filled up everything with acorns -- our chimney, our gutters and into holes they pecked into our wooden siding.
I bought a Bird-X Woodpecker Pro, which is a small electronic device that intermittently plays the sounds made by birds that are predators of woodpeckers. The sounds are realistic and blend into the background sounds of all the other birds.
We were concerned that we might also scare off the other birds from our bird feeder, but that has not been the case -- without the woodpeckers' harassment, we now have even more little guys at the feeder.
Charley Eddy
Las Cumbres
Contact Joan Morris at jmorris@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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