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Why Did 8-year-old Australian Shepherd Change Nighttime Behavior?

DEAR JOAN: I have a hummingbird feeder that sits on my wide fence ledge. For months, there were no sign of ants but now they're all over and in the feeder. I even sprayed the fence with TERRO, but the ants prevailed.

Is there anything I can put down on the fence ledge, surrounding the feeder, that'll deter the ants but not scare away the hummers?

— Bonnie, Pacific Grove

DEAR BONNIE: Please put away the ant spray, which could be harmful to the birds.

If possible, it's best to hang the feeder, rather than having it sit on a flat surface. That will put it somewhat out of reach.

Another solution is to set the feeder in a shallow container of water, creating a moat that, for the most part, will prevent the ants from reaching their goal.

DEAR JOAN: Our 8-year-old male Australian shepherd, Bodie, has started a new behavior.

We have a privacy screen and child's gate to keep him and his big brother, a border collie, in the living area with us. Bodie now breaks through the privacy screen during the middle of the night, slams on the child's gate to bring it down, and then runs upstairs to wait outside our room.

We haven't been able to detect any triggers that would cause this behavior. He seems to recognize that this behavior is not acceptable yet persists.

Any thoughts on what might be going on with him? We love him but are troubled by his anxiety.

— Doug, Arnold

DEAR DOUG: As with any change in behavior in a pet, it's always an excellent idea for a check-up at the vet's office to make sure there isn't a physical explanation.

As our pets haven't yet mastered human language and are only so-so on a computer keyboard, they often communicate their feelings with actions that we sometimes struggle to understand. But Bodie is definitely trying to tell you something.

He could be suffering from an illness that is causing him pain or discomfort, and he wants you to help him. That's why we need to see the vet.

It could also be that one night before the behavior change, something frightened, upset or concerned him, and he wanted to be as close to you as possible.

It could also be that he was so successful in getting your attention the first time he did it, he's decided to keep doing it and now it's a habit.

The way to break habits is to change how you react to the behavior. Ignore the "wrong" behavior and reward the "right."

You can try spending more time with him before bedtime. Playing and going for a walk will give him the attention he might be needing, and will help tire him out so he'll sleep through the night. Try adding some new toys and fluffy blankets to his bed, or leave the TV on at low volume so he has more company.

Dogs can be funny about what does and doesn't bother them, so you'll need to play detective to find out what has Bodie so anxious. He may overcome the fear and go back to being Bodie.

The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.Com.

Originally Published: June 16, 2025 at 6:30 AM PDT

Australian Shepherd 'Sharing' Ice With Her Dolphin Besties Is Pure Wholesome Goodness

It is often said that sharing is caring. This is true in the animal world, too. As this video shows, what one animal likes, another will often like as well.

That is certainly the case with this bucket of ice, an Australian Shepherd, and these dolphins. These two species may be separated by land and sea, but they share a love of ice.

At first, only this Australian Shepherd was enjoying the ice. While her dolphin best friends were gathering around in the water below are, she was munching and crunching away on some ice cubes like there was no tomorrow.

After a few moments, it became clear that these dolphins would also like to enjoy some crunchy, good ice as well. It did take a moment for this colorful dog to realize that her dolphin friends wanted to enjoy this ice too.

Related: Australian Shepherd Meets New Dolphin Friend and the Result Is Pure Magic

However, once this Australian Shepherd realized this, she wasted no time in knocking the ice bucket off the dock and into the water so that her dolphin friends could enjoy it as well.

And enjoy it they did! These dolphins were just about as happy as clams as soon as they got to play with this ice. Isn't it just so adorable and heartwarming to see animals of two different species sharing like this?

As this other video shows, this gorgeous Australian Shepherd is no stranger to playing with some beautiful dolphins. In this video, they have a play date.

The dolphins come into the shallows while this Australian Shepherd goes into the water, and they proceed to have a great old time playing with a ball, seemingly tossing a ball back and forth to each other.

It just goes to show that animals are two different species can absolutely be best friends and have a wonderful time playing with each other!

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Australian Shepherd 'Adopts' Tiny Baby Sparrow Found In Yard And Everyone's So Moved

A wonderful, kindhearted Australian Shepherd, named Promise, recently found a vulnerable House Sparrow baby near her house. And of course, like any gentle, loving canine, she decided to bring this adorable baby bird to her human.

As the video notes, at first, they were unsure that this baby bird would survive. But thankfully, she did, and they named her Trust. And as you'll see, Trust has a pretty interesting story.

Trust, whom they call Tru for short, could have very easily ended up not having a very happy story. Had Promise and her human decided to take Tru to a wildlife rescue, he would have been euthanized.

Apparently, Tru, being a House Sparrow, would have been put down at the wildlife rescue before her journey in life had even gotten started because house sparrows are considered to be an invasive species.

Related: Australian Shepherd Meets New Dolphin Friend and the Result Is Pure Magic

As this video shows, that did not happen because Promise and her human decided to keep Tru and give her an adorable name. And, since house sparrows are not a perspective species in the United States, there are no laws against them keeping and raising her.

There are more than 7 million House Sparrows in the United States. Originally, they were introduced in New York City in 1851 as a solution to the city's Caterpillar problem.

Apparently, there was an epidemic of Linden Moths going to work on all the basswood trees in Brooklyn at that time, and these old world songbirds were viewed as the best possible way to handle the situation.

Unfortunately, House Sparrows are now considered to be pests by many farmers because of how fiercely they compete for nesting space, which can drive away native bird species, upending the local ecosystem.

Hopefully, the Trust will be a good little bird with her newfound family and not do anything to upset the local birdies in her newfound neighborhood.

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