Terriers were bred for jobs like that, particularly Rat Terriers. The problem is that they do really dig holes going after them! Plus, any wildlife they're likely to kill, and since we have chickens, ducks, and little families of quail around here, I won't get one, though it's tempting sometimes. What I really need to find are owl boxes and learn how to place them properly. They can get as many as 35 a night. So, if I had 100 owl boxes...

--Ron

Miss Brisa catches and kills them, but then there are those holes in what we used to call a lawn.

Jeri

Here is a link that might be useful:

My dog was never able to catch them until we got a cat, I really think that she learned from watching the cat! Within three weeks she stopped barking down the holes and waited patiently. Jeri I love your photo!
Diana

There are owls in the area, and gopher snakes, bobcats, and coyotes. It is just that there are so many gophers!

We are thinking of getting chickens some day, not for a few years, but that is something to keep in mind.

Ron, if you figure out how to attract more owls I'd be pleased to learn from your experiences. There is a class on gopher control at Common Ground in Palo Alto on Saturday June 28. We had signed up to take it, but had a conflict and had to cancel. They'll offer it again next year some time, I guess.

Freya has caught two or three over the years but her skills don't suit the job. You can't very well herd gophers!

Rosefolly

Oh Jeri, I was going to write something to that effect but that picture says it all. Miss Brisa looks very dedicated.

Hee Hee . . . She has what you'd call a high prey drive.
She has been teaching her son her technique.

I might add -- she worked at that hole much of the day.
Right after dark, she caught the gopher,
and quickly dispatched it.

Jeri

I definitely will let you know if we figure out the owl box thing. I guess I should do a google search again and see what we find!

Jeri, now that's a dedicated digger, at least it's for a great cause!

--Ron

Paula, In CeCe's heyday, she could catch a rabbit on the fly, a ground squirrel with a pounce and a gopher silly enough to stick his head up for air.

She's beginning to relax a bit in her prime. Also, my Golden could catch gophers. Ron is right there are a few terriers bred for the job.

Carol

Yep, a terrier will do. My Westie (West Highland White Terrier) has caught several voles and one rabbit. I don't have gophers up here. My dachshund is a good hunter too and she isn't afraid of anything. Between the two of them I do have to watch to stop them from digging up the yard, but they're great little hunters and protect all of my roses well.

Jeri, now that's a dedicated digger, at least it's for a great cause! --Ron

*** Ron, any time you like, I can come up and turn her loose on YOUR lawns!

Jeri

I've had two Golden Retrievers that caught moles. The first one was better at it. The time after she died and we got a new puppy allowed the mole population to grow, since this one took a number of years before she got sucessful (and interested) in hunting gophers.

I have two different pointers - a German Shorthair Pointer and a Vizsla. Both hunt vermin with a vengance - voles, gophers and rabbits. I try to help out other predators by mowing, so they can detect rodents. Raptors do their share, and gophers snakes are highly valued here. Barn Owl boxes must be high, at least 10 feet off the ground, and I think they need to be insulated so they don't cook the chicks if they are on a post. I see them in the vineyards, but my understanding is that the vineyard boxes are only used in the late winter and that cooler locations are sought out for the second clutch of eggs.

Here is a link that might be useful: All the info you'll need about owl boxes

Jeri,

At this point, the lawns here are so bad I'm not sure anyone could even tell whether a gopher or a dog did it! It's the worst year we've had on gophers. We're probably going to remove more of the lawn strips between the rows of roses, though I hate to because they cool the area down remarkably, and with this hateful weather we've had this year, that's important. We've had more hot weather this year so far than in the previous two years put together.

--Ron

At this point, the lawns here are so bad I'm not sure anyone could even tell whether a gopher or a dog did it! It's the worst year we've had on gophers.

*** !Que lastima!
I keep thinking we have an exclusive on gophers in high numbers.
Clay has recently seen a couple of snakes on the hillside, and I am hoping they were gopher snakes.

Jeri