It was a beautiful May day, and I had just visited clients’ properties in Connecticut. Blade and Nash were my team, and they had done a great job. We had gotten two pairs of geese to fly off on a corporate complex and a flock from another corporate complex. Neither set of geese wanted to leave, but both dogs were resilient and used all their herding skills and were convincing enough to get those hard to move geese to fly away. Our clients have had issues with geese confronting people, and it is our job to humanely and effectively dial back the goose populations on properties, so those issues become minimalized. It’s called goose control, not goose elimination.
On the way home, I pulled into a convenience store, gas station in Westfield Massachusetts, filled up and ducked inside for a coffee. As I was walking down an aisle, a fellow customer walked in and looked at me. I guessed right away he knew I was the goose control guy, signs on the vehicle and the company name on my cap and jacket. ” You get to kill all the geese?!” he asked loudly. “No that’s someone else,”I said and turned to the cashier and got back to Blade and Nash. I gave both dogs a treat and dove off for home, in New York.
My family and I have run this service since 2002. Over that time we have had many encounters with the public over opinions on what should and should not be done with the geese on properties. The views run from one end of the spectrum to the other. Views are from “just kill the geese”, to, “leave them alone”. I frame what we do, goose control with trained and experienced Border Collies and trained and experienced handlers, as a middle way. The Border Collies and one mix breed dog, Nash all live at home. And the handlers are myself and my sons, Sam and Caleb. We know each other inside and out.
It is interesting to know that chasing off wildlife from fields and properties, with dogs is nothing new. It probably has gone on for thousands of years, since dogs and humans joined forces and humans set up permanent settlements. Some people we encounter on goose control trips get that. Other people think what we do is hugely funny; some don’t trust that we will not hurt the geese, others like our clients, put great faith in that we will bring relief to a sticky situation with nuisance geese. It’s as much a human issue as a goose problem. As long as we develop wildlife habitat, we will need to come up with solutions for wildlife. State Governments and organizations like the Humane Society seem to give goose control with Border Collies top billing when it comes to solutions in places where people live, work, play or go to school.
After I pulled into our driveway, Blade and Nash and I were greeted by our other three Border Collies, Skye, Tara, and Jim. They were excited to see us as always. Skye and Tara had been on goose control trips that morning with Caleb. They had visited two golf courses and two municipalities. After we all had lunch, it was time for afternoon chores. Skye and I herded the sheep and poultry to pasture. Skye did her job as she should, quietly and gently moving the sheep and chickens and ducks to the new growth of spring for a good feed. Border Collies know the difference between geese and sheep and then again the farm chickens and ducks. All take a different style to work with. Border Collies like Skye are not only smart but love to work and have great stamina.
As Skye and I walked back from the pasture the pup Tara ran up to us. She had been chewing on a bone. Skye and Tara sniffed each other and then ran off together enjoying the beautiful May day after they chased a rabbit away from near the garden to the woods.