When this dog takes a gander, geese take flight

Brookside Gardens puts a border collie on its payroll

The newest employee at Brookside Gardens boasts a sharper sense of smell than the keenest rose enthusiast, feet fleeter than the most avid runner and an affinity for chasing geese that could outlast any curious school group.

Emmie, a 1-year-old border collie, joined the staff of the Montgomery County-owned gardens last week. Her job description: to warn hundreds of Canada geese -- pesky critters who feast on the fine grass at Brookside and relieve themselves wherever they please -- that they're not welcome.

It's a job few humans -- or decoy coyotes, plastic alligator heads or fences -- could do quite as efficiently. A goose-chaser must have a complete disregard for mud, bird droppings and the vicious, snapping beaks of overprotective mama geese. Successful applicants prove their skill by jumping without hesitation into the chilly, murky pond that many of Brookside's birds call home.

Goose-chasers must balance an ability to instill a ferocious fear in their targets while showing enough restraint to keep the threats mere warnings.

Emmie is exceptionally good at all these things, which is why the county paid about $4,500 to purchase her from a Virginia breeder and trainer, said her handler, Brookside Gardens landscape supervisor Jeff Patterson, who takes Emmie home with him nightly.

Although the county's Department of Parks budget is tight, Patterson said, the recent splurge has been worth every penny. Border collies are one of the most intelligent dog breeds, with an insatiable appetite for work and natural herding abilities, he said.

In Emmie's first week on the job, she chased off as many as 300 geese, Patterson said. He and Emmie have settled into a familiar routine at the Wheaton park, which has 50 acres of specialized flower gardens, gazebos, small ponds, two conservatories and a horticulture library.

"I just unleash her, and she just takes off," Patterson said.

Once free, Emmie works in a meticulous zigzag pattern down the green slope leading into one of Brookside's many ponds. Almost immediately, the geese start squawking as they pick up an unfriendly scent.

Emmie's eyes never leave the flock that's settled on the skimming surface. She dips one paw daintily into the icy water, and her head cocks toward her handler for a command.

"Shhh," he replies as the go-ahead.

And she's in. In the few seconds it takes for the waves to ripple to the center of the pond, where the geese have huddled for protection, the flock takes off, barely skirting the tall pines that border the gardens and the rest of Wheaton Regional Park.