Daisy has an inexplicable love of all things outdoor. She munches on grass, and occasionally my veggie plot, as if she were a cow. (My own fault, I know, for giving her a cow's name.) That never bothered me, we don't treat our lawn with anything. But I do have an issue with her and sticks. For some reason they are the ultimate toy. This wouldn't be too much of a problem if approximately 70% of our backyard wasn't shaded by a huge non-bearing mulberry tree. It is nearly impossible to keep ALL of the sticks out of the yard, and if I just pick up the larger ones that she prefers, she will choose a smaller twig to run around with. I actually worry more about her choking on a 6-12" stick than a 2-3' one because the whole thing could go down so easily. When my husband was trimming the tree this week, she was attempting to drag a 10' limb around the yard with her! I have tried trading toys and treats (including her most favorite - ice), to no avail. I refuse to chase her for it, because it is NOT a game! So, she will find one and run around with it for a few minutes until she stops running and I can take it away, then she finds another and it starts over. I can't distract her with a Frisbee or a Kong, and I am just out of ideas! She is not allowed in the backyard unsupervised anymore, so she usually gets taken out front on a leash when she needs to go potty. It is just too much work to go on stick patrol, take her out, try to reclaim any missed sticks, and convince her to come back inside when the whole fiasco is over. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. See you all at DaneFest!