# Retrievers and the salt marsh



## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

oh wow, it sounds like a cool day besides that. I'm glad Buffy is okay, how awful that would have been if she hyperextended her leg or worse!


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

I don't know what the marshes are like elsewhere but these mosquito ditches in our marshes can be very dangerous especially for a dog that runs at breakneck speed.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

That kind of stuff scares me, too. I was walking Tito (fast walk) on leash while he was recently on injured reserve, and he stepped in a big hole with a front leg (the injured one of course) all the way to his shoulder. I thought for sure he had broken it, but he just pulled his leg out of the hole and kept going.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

The other night on a walk with my husband, our 3 were off leash tearing it up on the trails. We walk along a pretty fast moving icy creek. The dogs are in and out, up and down the banks, which are occasionally 10' high. At the bends a lot of debris get caught sometimes. Reilly fell in or got in, anyway he got caught in the debris which kept him under the surface and unable to get out. My husband saw and jumped down the bank into the creek. He didn't get carried away and he was able to get to Reilly and drag him out of the debris. Reilly climbed up the bank like nothing happened and continued on his merry way. Dogs can be so resilient.


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## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

oh stacey I would have pissed myself in fear!


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Alaska, that's pretty scary.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Just like your salt marshes there are hidden dangers everywhere. How do you spot your ditches? Can you post a photo?


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

I will try to get photos. The ditches run the length of the marsh. The marsh is made up of Spartina and the Spartina around the ditches frequently seems maybe thicker or greener than the rest of the marsh. The marsh will have several parallel ditches in it but several yards between them (100 yds.?) They are treacherous. I stepped in one myself today and sank into mud above my knee. This mud is like quicksand and creates a suction around your boot so that you struggle to get your foot out. They show up on aerial photographs. What makes them even worse is that the grass can cover the ditch so that you don't really see it and you can fall into one even though you are trying to be careful.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Oh my gosh Alaska. I would have had a heart attack. Thank God for your husband. My heart is pounding just reading the story.


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## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

Alaska those strainers are deadly. All that has to happen is a piece of clothing or collar gets caught on a branch when submerged and it is lights out. It doesn't take much to catch or get caught. Careful!!!

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

This post should have had a "spew alert" (as in, I spewed my mouthful of coffee all over the monitor laughing when I read it!)



MillionsofPeaches said:


> oh stacey I would have pissed myself in fear!


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## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

yeah I don't have a good mouth filter, ha ha.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Alaska7133 said:


> Just like your salt marshes there are hidden dangers everywhere. How do you spot your ditches? Can you post a photo?


Click onto the link. The last photo shows a drainage ditch. The Spartina is a little higher than that found around most of the drainage ditches here. The ditches can be deep. 

Depression-era drainage ditches emerge as sleeping threat to Cape Cod salt marshes | Science Codex


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

MillionsofPeaches said:


> yeah I don't have a good mouth filter, ha ha.


That's OK. I did have to read your post twice and also laughed.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

An aerial view of mosquito ditches.

Ditches in Assateague Island - Coastal/Marine - Photo (JPG) - IAN Image and Video Library - Free High Resolution and Vector Environmental Science Images


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## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

all those lines are the ditches? Wow that would be a pita


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

All our local salt marshes have those, but they're typically wide enough in most places that the dogs see them and aren't surprised in trying to cross them, so we've never had an injury (fingers crossed). The most dangerous thing at the salt marshes for us are the clam beds, since at certain tides the dogs paws get sliced up if we're not careful.

I do have a funny photo series of Jax chasing Comet through the salt marsh where Comet saw the ditch and Jax didn't because he was chasing Comet so intently. Funny because neither dog was hurt, but it's a good thing to be aware of.


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## olliversmom (Mar 13, 2013)

Glad no ones dog (or alaskas hubby) was hurt


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

Familiar with those ditches having spent my life living near the shore. What I have found worse are the little holes you can never see. I am not a hunter but do venture out out them once in a while and have learned to tread very carefully as have my dogs. My first girl loved rolling around in the grass out there.

On a similar note during the autumn they flood the cranberry bogs and there is always some dog going nuts chasing geese and slams right into the ditches. I see it coming and just cringe, not a fun sight to see.

Glad your dog is ok.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Is there a way to fix the ditches and flatten them out? Oh that would probably be a huge Army Corp of Engineers permit. Like really huge.

I don't think I'd want to have my dogs trip on one of those. Especially when they are intent on a bird.

Normally I when my dogs are off leash they have an ecollar and a pinch collar on. That day for whatever reason Reilly had on neither. I'm sure glad I opted for bare necks that evening. I dint even have leashes with me. We just had a wet 1-1/2 mile walk back to the car. Reilly ran around like a crazy dog all the way back.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Alaska7133 said:


> Is there a way to fix the ditches and flatten them out? Oh that would probably be a huge Army Corp of Engineers permit. Like really huge.
> 
> I don't think I'd want to have my dogs trip on one of those. Especially when they are intent on a bird.
> 
> Normally I when my dogs are off leash they have an ecollar and a pinch collar on. That day for whatever reason Reilly had on neither. I'm sure glad I opted for bare necks that evening. I dint even have leashes with me. We just had a wet 1-1/2 mile walk back to the car. Reilly ran around like a crazy dog all the way back.



There has been some marsh restoration that I am aware of on one particular island and I think on some state owned marsh. I believe (not sure) that they put a barrier where the ditch empties into the bay and the ditch fills in with sediment. And yes, permits are needed---NYSDEC, Town, Federal would be my guess.


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