A few months ago, my family and I moved a little farther out into the country. We have a nice side yard and my kids love running around out there, but there is one big problem. I know that dealing with wildlife comes along with getting out of town. Even people in town have the occasional raccoon in the trash can, a flower eaten off the porch at night, or a jack-o-lantern gobbled down before Halloween. As crazy as it may sound, the deer in my neighborhood have taken things to an entirely different level; they are in my yard all the time. The fence does nothing to stop them, they're not scared of people and you have to get close enough to touch them before they will move. Now, I don't want to seem like I'm complaining too much because the deer are cute and they sure are quiet. My cousin in Alaska has to carry a rifle with him when he goes for a walk because of grizzly bears, so I could have it a lot worse. The only problem is the mess. I need at least a 30 minute of notice before the wiffle ball game starts so I can walk around the yard with a shovel, cleaning up after the extended-deer-family trespassing on the property. In the summer, my daughter likes to run around outside barefoot and it's like dodging landmines.
Given how many deer there are around the Ohio Valley, I can't be the only one with this problem. I would think that a dog would help, but I would hate to bother my neighbors with a dog barking at deer all night. There are other possible solutions that are more, well, extreme, but I don't think things like that are even legal in my neighborhood; despite how satisfying they might be to me personally. Does anybody have an efficient solution to this problem? I know that the City of Baltimore converts waste to electricity, but that technology seems a little out of my price range. To tell you the truth, I'm hoping that you can tell me that purchasing a dog is the right answer. I really want a dog and this will help my arguments at home. Even if you don't think a dog will work, please tell me you think it will so I can get a dog. Other non-dog suggestions are also appreciated. Thanks.
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