THE WASHINGTON POST • THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2010
20 DC
District
L OCAL LIVING
Gardening cultivates healthy habits garden from 16
“If you plant shallow and just barely cover it, you’ll almost always get germination,” Turse said. Xavier, who paid close
attention to the instructions, planted his collard seeds with care. But much of his attention was focused on spotting bugs that scurried by. “My favorite spiders are daddy longlegs,” he said. Lavonda Williams, his mother,
a lawyer, said the program gives her a chance to spend quality time with her son. “This really gives us an
opportunity to do things together and share knowledge,” she said. The 15-week program began in
May and ends in August. There are presentations on gardening techniques, nutrition education and cooking demonstrations using recently harvested produce. The families watch the garden’s progress and sell some of their herbs at farmers markets, where they also help advocate for the garden. “Teaching people and
watching them learn and experiencing the successes of the garden, that’s what I like to see,”
Turse said. The Washington Youth Garden
also offers other enrichment programs. There’s a garden science program for third- and fourth-graders at three elementary schools. The students learn about science and the environment as they design and run a school garden. During the spring, summer and fall, educators and students in grades K-8 can participate in Science Program Reaching OUT (SPROUT), a one-time outdoor classroom initiative that teaches basic garden science. There’s also Seed to Supper, an eight-week summer program in collaboration with the Department of Parks and Recreation. In years past, the program was offered to students 8 to 12. This month, the program will expand to include 14- and 15-year-olds. Charles “C.J.” Ragland, 16, and his mother, Patricia, have been in the Growing Food program for eight years. C.J., who was in third grade when he started, now loves greens and considers himself somewhat of a green thumb. “It’s family time for the two of
us,” Patricia Ragland said “Meeting new families, getting
exercise and free organic produce. I get a lot of different things out of it.”
She also is the three-year reigning champion of the family cook-off, an event scheduled at the close of the program. Last year, her curry and garlic okra and tomato dish was a favorite. “They loved it!” she said. First-year participants Sandra and Edgard Romero, who attend with their sons Edgard Jr. and Kelvin, said the program is helping them appreciate some of the natural foods important to their Guatemalan and Nicaraguan cultures. Sandra Romero sad she hopes to recruit more Latino families to share their experience. The day they planted the seeds, the families also watched a presentation on growing herbs in container gardens. Then it was time to enjoy the fruits of their work. Xavier, along with Mekhi
Truesdale, 7, Masai Brown-Andrews, 7, and Zora Brown-Andrews, 4, sat on the grass helping volunteers sort spinach, kale, snow peas and a fennel plant. There were some for every family to take home.
gittenst@washpost.com
fox from 15
Dear Dr. Fox: This is in response to the
letter about the 3-year-old beagle in Arlington, Tex., that is allowed to chase rabbits for exercise and entertainment. I work in a wildlife rehabilitation clinic and see much suffering of these defenseless, harmless creatures at the mouths and claws of dogs and cats. Rabbits can literally die of fright or run in front of a car while trying to escape this senseless harassment. We humans need to respect the lives of all animals.
P.G. Naples, Fla.
DF: I embrace your sentiment and respect your concern. Recently, I politely chastised an acquaintance when he said how much his dog had just enjoyed chasing ducks and geese resting on the edge of a nearby lake. It was midwinter, and wintering wildlife, including deer and rabbits, cannot afford to expend energy as a source of canine entertainment. The extreme shortage of food and the metabolic demands of winter (and later demands of pregnancy and care of offspring) indicate that dogs should not be allowed to routinely harass wildlife. Occasionally chasing (without physically harming) a rabbit flushed out during an off-leash outing could be bad for dogs, many of whom cripple themselves by tearing their cruciate ligaments or by impaling themselves on broken branches. This can cost their uninformed owners thousands of dollars in veterinary treatment.
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GROWLING PAINS Dear Dr. Fox: We have a neutered,
7-year-old male American Eskimo dog. We’ve had him since he was an 8-week-old pup.
Behaviorally, he is a challenge. He barks excessively for food when we have guests or at any sound outside. He also guards excessively — his food bowl, toys and sleeping space — and he growls aggressively if anyone walks past him. He has never bitten anyone. He can be affectionate and
greets our family warmly when we come home. But we are looking for guidance in curbing the barking and growling. We’ve tried obedience training more than once, to no real effect.
R.G. Minneapolis
DF: Your dog is barking and growling to get attention and to assert his presence. Reward training might work: When he barks or growls, say “quiet,” praise him and put him in the sit-stay position, then reward him intermittently with a treat. If he cannot contain himself, say “go away” and point to the room to which you will send him for a 10- to 15-minute timeout. I call this “shunning,” and most pack-oriented dogs hate it and soon shape up.
Michael W. Fox, author of a newsletter and books on animal care, welfare and rights, is a veterinarian with doctoral degrees in medicine and animal behavior. Write to him at United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. © 2010 United Feature Syndicate Inc.
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