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Photo by Graham Cullen
Dan Laxton patrols Woodsboro Park with his border collies, Zip, left, and Ivy. They chase geese from the park.
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Woodsboro -- While walking around the lake at Woodsboro Park, a resident may not notice something missing.Canada geese are a common sight at many local ponds, but they are not at the 83-acre park -- at least not for long. That is thanks to Walkersville resident Dan Laxton and his two border collies, Zip, 5, and Ivy, 4. The three make up the team of Gone in a Zip, which herds geese away from areas. Woodsboro Park is one of six properties the three patrol seven days a week. "If I am out of the house, they are with me," Laxton said. Using dogs to herd the geese is an effective way of scaring the birds. Geese see the dogs as predators, Laxton said. When the geese are kept away from the park, feces and feathers don't have to be picked up. That helps to prevent the spread of diseases the birds carry. The three make it out to Woodsboro about three times a week on average. "It has made a real and noticeable difference," said Town Commissioner Joel Rensberger, who is assigned to oversee the park. He has heard from residents, walkers and fishermen about how happy they are to see the geese gone. "I would say it's a 90 percent improvement over what we had become used to," Rensberger said. When the three started to work in Woodsboro , they found about 60 geese during the summer months and 150 to 160 during winter migration. "That's not even a big number," Laxton said. When the three began work at the former Fort Ritchie property, they found 500 geese. Laxton gets laughs when he tells people his occupation, but the job is hard. He and the dogs put in 12- to 14-hour days, and Laxton does daily research on climate and other factors that affect the movement of the geese. "I love this," he said. "What I do is so much more (than herding). The clients I have are pretty happy." Laxton is gearing up for a busy time of the year. Geese are migrating this month, and hunting season also disrupts their resting places. "There is more geese every year," he said. "I see no letup."
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